Syunpei's new life
by celidenimalife
Summary: What if Syunpei's adventure didn't stop at the first episode? What if he get close with the idols of Six Gravity and Procellarum? This story tell you all.
1. Chapter 1 : A new Beginning

Prologue

"Syunpei, please just this once helps your dear sister!" The feverish girl's voice echoed throughout the house. Luckily, no one was around at the moment other than the two siblings. Or perhaps it was the worst thing ever... The teenage girl would not stop begging and shaking his little brother desperately, hoping to hear an answer not other than a yes. Syunpei, the middle schooler felt annoyed and shrugged off his sister's arm from him. "Tell me again why I should do this for you?" He asked while continue on his adventure in the virtual game. At the last breath of that sentence, the boy knew he regretted asking that question. And he was right, his sister dragged on telling everything about his favorite idol Shiwasu Kakeru who held a shake hand event around town today. Not only him, but the whole group of Six Gravity and Procellarum. They decided to celebrate their first debut anniversary by doing so, _quite troublesome I would say_. He was the popular talk around his school, saying he had a beautiful voice that could make an angel cry. The ability to dance swiftly and wonderfully on the stage, an appealing appearance of a blonde hair orange eyed figure that could melt any girl's heart, a kind-hearted man who would volunteer to help those in need. Syunpei had enough of this golden idol's info in his head that he was confident, if been given a quiz about him, he could pass like taking a breathing around the park. Even though one of his committed fans here had the ticket for the event, she could not go due to her terrible fever. "I worked hard to get this ticket and I'm not going to waste it, even if it's not me who's going!" A sneeze ended that sentence too perfect of a timing. However, Syunpei refused to go in her stead even if he was promised to the Moon Rabbit sweets that he craved dearly. The sweets were recently sold in town, a popular cookie from the civilized city. No one would like to miss the sweet, tender taste of the cookies melt inside their mouth. But Syunpei did, not wanting to be an oddball at the shake hand event. He bet to himself that no man or even boys would be there to see some pop idol, they rather played some sports or the arcades. Plus, why would a man adore another man? That was just weird and comical. Guilt and sympathy built up inside his heart when he heard his sister's nonstop coughing. It seems like it would not get better soon, and he would not like it if they started to fight again. He still remembered the time where he accidentally broke one of her CDs and never talked to him for months. He even had to cook for himself, it was hell for him. He had to choose whether to eat some burned egg with uncooked rice or instant noodle for life. It was troublesome. After losing a few times in his gaming world, with a sigh, Syunpei agreed to his sister's request with one condition. "I'll go to the event for you, but you have to buy me the new game that I wanted." Without any hesitation, the ill girl agreed to it in a split second. And with that, Syunpei leave the house for the event with a reluctant heart.

Wearing a simple shirt with short jeans and a hat, Syunpei was on his way to check out the place of the event. It was summer around the time, and his head was filled with heat over the roughly, sketched map. Since Syunpei did not venture the town that much, he was tend to get lost. "With a map like this, anyone would be lost. What am I going to do?" Syunpei let out a sigh of frustration. His slim body had started to weaken walking around aimlessly, so he decided to visit his place of comfort. The mall, a place for everyone to find almost everything they needed. For this boy who loved gaming, planning his time to search and arrive at the shake hand event, he decided to take a stop at the arcade. "I'll search for it again later. I can always ask around, so I should cherish this once in a lifetime moment." And so he began to play all of the games prepared there all by himself. As expected of a gamer boy, he played well. Not only did he have fun, he also obtained the highest score in all of the games record. He felt reluctant on going to the pop idol's event, but the thought of his deal with his sister forced him to walk away from the arcade. With a heavy heart, Syunpei once again continued his quest for his ill sister and hoped his luck was on his side. Syunpei looked around for any clues where the shake hand event was. While looking at the confusing drawn map, he misstep the stairs and almost fall to the ground. It was a gruesome moment since he was still high up the stairs. Luckily, someone behind him able to catch him safely. Even so, the way he held Syunpei was a little awkward. The way he held one of his arm and torso sent heat all over his body. No one had ever touched him like this, not even his mother. His muscular hand that hold him near his flat-chest body made it clear that he was a male, an airhead man that was. He turned to look at the man who helped him, but it made the situation worst. His face was too close to him that he almost kissed him. Both of their faces were an inch away that their lips touched slightly. It made Syunpei lost his mind and his body filled with heat of embarassment. Without any thought blooming inside his head, he apologised and ran without looking at the man's face. His face was red of awkwardness and embarrassment of the incident just now. The way he held gently around his waist, the loose grip he had in his thin arm. His skin was too soft to say it was a man, but his voice was clearly one. "Are you okay?" Those short phrases kept repeating inside Syunpei's mind like a spell. He could not forget about it. He decided to cool himself off by stopping at a smoothie kiosk, even if it was just a little, he wanted to calm himself down. _I wonder what that guy was thinking in that thick skull of his. That was absurd!_

"Kakeru, is everything okay?" The blonde hair boy startled by that admonished from his friend. "No, everything's fine. Don't worry." Kakeru replied with a reassuring voice. He looked again at the direction of the boy who ran away from him, the boy he had just saved. His brown hair that brushed against his face, the brown eyes that locked into his eyes in a split second had made him felt nervous, and the soft lip that accidentally touched with his sent blood rushing to his face. What made it worst was that it made his heart skipped a beat. It was throbbing faster than normal, more than when he was tired from his dance practice. He felt this feeling before, he knew it very well. Yet he wanted to deny it, refused to accept it into his heart. He gave out a sigh and leave to prepare for his shake hand event. Even so, he felt disheartened to leave the boy be. He must be lost, he needed direction, and he needed help. But he could not leave his fans be, so he had to swallow up this uneasiness to himself. "What's the matter? Nervous?" One of his friends, Koi, talked to him, trying to lift the heavy mood Kakeru set in. The pink haired boy had been friends with Kakeru since they were a child, every expression and thought that Kakeru made was easily read by him. This made the orange eyed boy felt envious since he could never do the same. Kakeru tried to avert his attention about how late they were for the event, but he could not fool anyone other than himself. None of them moved from their stop, knowing their friends were troubled and that he refused to confide to them. They never saw Kakeru acted like that before, they were worried. "You know, if something's troubling you, you can always tell us." Surprised, Kakeru did not know how to answer to that statement. His heart said yes, but his mind said no. Sighing, he told them. "I... Just worried about him... That boy..." The others suddenly burst laughing at the top of their lung. Koi put his arm around Kakeru, reassuring him.

"That's it right? Let's go find him and help him. Sounds good?"

"But, the event-"

"I think we'll have time. It's our event after all."

Hearing this, Kakeru's heart was relieved and calmed. Even though that was not nearly the truth, he was glad that the subject was dropped. And so, they began to search for the brown hair boy, Syunpei.

"Hello, is anybody there?" Sticking his head inside the authorised personnel door, Syunpei tried to call out any staff in there for help. _Anyone from here would know about the event, right?_ Only the hauling wind replied back to the stand alone boy who desperate for answer. His nerve was disrupted by how annoying this had become that a muscle grew on his head. "Ah! Whatever!" He entered the room with bravery step. A tiny part of his heart was hoping that he would not get in trouble. This might made him not able to attend his sister idol's event, it would be a pain. While walking through the hallway, he looked around for any presence of a human being. But what he found was what it seems some recording set, posters around and boxes stacked among the corners. _Am I in the wrong place?_ While he looked at the confusing map again, another attempt to understand it, he accidentally bumped into someone and dropped it. He tried to apologise while picking the map up, but that someone was faster than him. The map was in his hand, Syunpei was on one of his knees down the floor. He was reluctant to get up, he was too afraid of the next consequence. _What will be of me? Will I get scolded? Will I get kicked out?_ The man was whispering to his partner before pulling Syunpei up, having his eyes had direct contact with his. The silver eyes that went beyond Syunpei's mind, talked to him with a deep voice. "You're the one we're looking for. Come with us." _Eeeehhhhh?!_ Syunpei was confused, his head had enough of these ridicules. The man pulled him to a certain place, walking through the crowded hallway. "W-wait a minute!" He tried to have his arm free from the man's grip, but he was too weak to go against him. Knowing it would be a lot more problematic if he fought back, he accepted his fate as it was. _Am I going to be punish? But the event..._ He remained silence throughout their walk.

 _In the end, we didn't find him..._ Kakeru and his friends walked back to their dressing room to prepare for the event with depressed look. They had searched for Syunpei all over the mall, they even avoided their manager in order to find him. But their efforts were in vain. They did not meet up with him, not even seeing his image. Koi tried to cheer Kakeru up, but nothing could turn his frown upside down. He might be smiling, but his heart still not in peace. When they walked into their preparation room, they saw everyone waiting for them. The members of Six Gravity and Procellarum, along with a boy? _It's him! What is he doing here?!_ Kakeru was shocked to see him here, the least expected place for them to meet up. The others greet them upon their arrival, even mocking them in the moment. Koi spoke up first, wanting to know what were their leaders planning to do. "So, Shun, what's all this? You even brought a kid." The gray eyed man just smiled softly and put both his hands on Syunpei, giving a slight impact that surprised him. "I want to introduce to you our new housekeeper. Here!" Everyone except the two leaders was so shocked that the whole room echoed with their voices. They started to wonder and looked at each other. Not to mention for Syunpei, he was the most shocked out of them all. He did not sign up for this, he did not ask for any of this, he did not want this! "W-wait! Isn't he a bit too young? Won't it be against the law?" Everyone agreed to Yoru statement, the brown hair kid was still around middle school. If he was caught working by the school, he would be kicked out forever. That also meant he would be scolded by his parents. His life was on the line here! "Well, he did trespass the border. He also wandered around like his own the place. And..." Shun took a glance at the boy before continue speaking. There was something about him that piqued his interest somehow, and he would not let him go without knowing what it was. "He was looking for us, that mean he's ok." Shun stated.

"How is that okay?! I don't understand!" Iku shouted for answer. He was already confused as he was. Syunpei thought by himself what had happened. Stepping into the door was a huge mistake for him, he was digging his own grave. His heart was heavy from knowing what would happen to him. "Let's just say it's his punishment for trespassing, how about that? It's until we've found a proper maid that is." Hajime backed Shun up so that their intention stayed firm. Everyone became quiet, leaving to their own thought. They were given some time to think about their decision, but not for Syunpei. When he looked up to Shun to beg him to let him go, he only got a smile from him. This made the brown eyed kid felt more uneasy by the atmosphere he let out. It left him a bad impression that he could puke. After a few moments, the members all said their heart out. "Alright, I guess it's fine. But how about him?" Kakeru volunteered to speak for all of them. "I'm sure he would agree, right?" Hajime said. Syunpei could only glance back at those yellow eyes that stared him down. Something about the way he looked into his soul made him shiver, warning himself not to say no. _Is there really a choice here, you bully!_ Giving up, the middle schooler could only nod to the statement. He tried to hide his painful expression under his hat in pain of these guys' attitude. The others could only sigh and agreed with the leaders' decision. They were the leader after all, they would know what to do.

As for poor Syunpei, his head was filled with the future that waited for him with these troublesome people. _What am I going to do? What am I going to tell my family? What do I really need to do?_ He reached the ticket in his pocket, looking at it with regret eyes. _And there's still this to deal with._ He clenched the ticket in his hands with force of anger and sadness. Hajime saw and took the ticket out of Syunpei's hand. "What's this? A ticket?" Syunpei's face turned pale, he met his doom. These guys would definitely hold onto him more if he did not give a proper excuse. "W-wait! Th-that's-" The ticket was ripped before his very eyes, he could not speak a word at all. It was unbelievable for him to do that. He did not do anything wrong. He did not even have the chance to explain and protest. He had enough of being a goody two shoes, his patience had reached its limit. "What's with you guys?! I was just lost and try to go to the event peacefully and then go home! What did I do wrong to deserve this?! You... Bully!"

"Wow, you raised your voice to us? You got nerves." Coming out of You, the member of Procellarum, Syunpei was triggered by his words. Ever since he got out, nothing good ever happened to him. He had enough misfortune for one day. Along with the heat of summer, he let out his anger. "I don't even know who you are! Even if I'm supposed to know, I won't! I won't acknowledge all of you! Never!"

"But, that's too bad." Shun raised Syunpei's chin so that he could read his expression clearly. The fire in his eyes was enough to explain his emotion right now. _What an interesting kid._ "We never go back on our words, no man does. You, too, are a man right? Do you even know who we are?" The gray eyed leader of Procellarum teased the boy even more, putting oil to the raging fire. The middle schooler pushed Shun's hand away from him as rough as he could, he needed to show him that he was not afraid of anything. He was not afraid of him. "A man would fight to stand for his pride. Also, I don't know you. I don't know any of you and I don't plan on wanting to!" He crossed his arms in confidence of his answers, which also prevent himself from punching this white hair devil. However, some of Syunpei's anger was subsided when almost everyone in the room gasped in shocked on his words. Whispers could be heard in the room, a whole lot of them. Among all of them, the brown hair boy notice that a person looked at him with a light expression. A blonde hair, orange eye boy about the tall of a high school student. It was calming to see, a face of amused that made him flustered a bit. _What's up with that face?_ The sound of the door opened made the room fell to silence. Everyone turned to look who entered the heated room, it was a man in a suit. He looked pretty solemn compare to the rest in that room, and slightly angry too. "It's about time. Stop goofing around and prepare." The man said in a monotonous, cold voice. The room was reenacted by their voice of agreement. The manager left the room with all the members of Six Gravity and Procellarum. Before Hajime left with the rest, leaving Syunpei in the room alone, he took a glance back at him with a grin. "Be a good boy and don't run away, okay?" He closed the door, locked it and left the brown hair kid alone like a caged dog. _Unbelievable!_ Syunpei frantically tried to open door with all his might, but alas it was no use. He then tried looking around to find an alternative exit, but only his reflection appeared before his eyes. He could only whimper by himself in the empty room, nothing but mirror sets and a couch. He decided to lie on the couch until he was freed. The couch was comdy enough to qualm his anger, he could even fall asleep on it. _If I had the chance that is..._ Syunpei sighed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about what would happen to him next. Going out of his comfort zone seems to be the worst decision he had ever made. _Why am I so unlucky?_


	2. Chapter 2 : Confrontation

_I thought no one would be interested in this little fanfic and I just throw this story in. I'm glad there are other people thinking the same way as I am._ _This story has a little bit of shonen ai in it, so I hope you can accept it._

"Thank you all for coming!" With this, the shake hand event of Six Gravity and Procellarum ended after their amazing performance. Their stunning appearance, their captivating voices, their amusing dances had satisfied their fans more than enough. Once the lights were out, every members of each group ran to the dressing room where Syunpei were left locked. Everyone had the same reason but different intention. Hajime and Shun were in the front line of the fast-paced walking of the members, just like a leader would. The staff around could see the distress expression on their faces, they looked troubled. _Crap! It was longer than it should! That boy must be raging in there!_ Hajime thought as he opened the door as fast as he could. To his surprise, what he found was not a kid throwing a tantrum or complaint, he found that Syunpei was sound asleep on the black leather couch. Everyone gathered around him, wondering what to do. Since they did not even know where he lived, neither did his name, they were clueless on their next action. His face was so peaceful, they did not dare to wake him up. It would be problematic to go against his anger side, especially after what had happened. They just looked at his sleeping face while thinking of a solution. Somehow, his face sent an aura so calming and serene that they would not want to let him go. He looked like the innocent child that everyone adored. "What do we do now?" Yoru asked with a concern tone. They could not take him to their dorm. If they did, only troubles awaited them. They could have him stayed at their manager's house for one night, but they knew Syunpei would consult to him and it spelled doom for them. The leaders were working their brains out, searching for an idea that could favor both side. Among them, Kakeru, raised his hand. This indicated that he had a solution, now to know if it were brilliant or stupid enough it was better than nothing. "Well, how about one of us stays at a hotel with him? Or more people would be okay too." The idea sounded stupid, but that was all they could do. Now they needed to decide who would stay by his side the whole night until morning. "Let's do this the usual way!" The eccentric member, Iku, suddenly pumped up like he was in a competition. It made the others felt his competitive aura and joined in. "Winner takes all! Ready?"

The next day, Syunpei woke up with the ray of sunshine heating his face. He tried to open his eyes but the light was blinding. He could not see properly, he needed to know where he was. One thing he knew was that he was not at home. The bed he slept in was too comfortable, the room temperature was cold, the room was too spacious. _Is this one of their room?_ He thought as he rised and landed his hand on something hard. He looked beside him and surprised to find Kakeru was sleeping there. Syunpei's hand was on Kakeru's chest, he could feel his heart pumping to breathe. He quickly took off his hand so that the blonde hair boy would not wake up. It was a last minute saved since Kakeru felt uncomfortable and almost woke up. Syunpei shake his head off trying to think of a good reason for him to be there. Maybe this was his bed and there were no other ones. But with a room this spacious, it was impossible. There should be a couch in the living room and he could sleep there. Why would he decide to sleep beside him? _Unless..._ Syunpei left the room as quietly as he could, tiptoed as not to make the slightest noise at all. He knew they tried to keep him as their 'maid', that was why there was a lookout. He finally reached the door, his one way to freedom, to home sweet home. Before he could even reach for the handle, the door bell rang. "Kakeru, you're awake yet?" A voice travelled through the solid door. Syunpei knew that voice too well, it was the voice that annoyed him the most. The voice of Shun, the silver hair devil. *That voice... It's him!* Panic and scared, he decided to return to the bedroom. The blonde hair idol still in his dreamland, not knowing of the event unfolded before him. The door bell rang again, and the same voice called out his name. "Kakeru, open up." Out of ideas and reasons, he tried to wake the sleeping idol up." Wake up! Your friends here! Don't leave me alone with them! GET. UP." He pulled the blanket away from him, resulting in Kakeru falling out of bed. It was painful for Kakeru, but satisfying to Syunpei. At least he finally woke up, even if he still hazy.

Hajime and Haru had come to send Syunpei home, any details about him working with them would be discussed again in the future. He even being sent home with tons of merchandise from the event, as a made up for making him wait. Syunpei did not want to take the offer at first, but he was forced to. For now, he would attend school like a normal middle schooler would. With that much information given, they left to do what they had to do while Kakeru stayed at the hotel to pack his things up. While he was doing so, something about last night came into his mind. "He...was crying. I'm not seeing things, right?" When Hajime and the others had left them at the hotel last night, Kakeru stayed up late to watch over the brown hair boy. There was no point in doing so, but he felt the need to. More like he wanted to. For hours he only sat and stared at the sleeping kid, thinking about everything that had happened between them. The incident at the stairs passed by his memories and made him flustered. _I'm the worst!_ He thought to himself while trying to hide his embarrassment. Syunpei might be asleep, but he could wake up anytime soon. It would be a shame if he saw his red face. Then, Kakeru heard he mumble something in his sleep. He tried to hear what it was so he drew himself closer. "Dad..." Tears could be seen flowing down the boy's cheek, his trembling soft voice was barely heard by Kakeru. Guilt and curiosity builded up in the blonde idol's heart. _What happened to his father? Does he miss him? Is he dead? Was he seeking help from him because of us? Was he pressured by our action? It was because...Of us?_ His thought kept on repeating in his head all night, like a recorded CD played on loop. He held both of his hands and put it on his head, the emotions he felt was too much to handle. He did not have the intention to fall asleep there, but his thinking made him tired himself out thus accidentally layed down beside him. The present day, Kakeru was attending his singing practice as usual. He did everything with his heart's content. Even so, he was admonished by Koi that he seemed to lack emotions through his works. "Is something troubling you? You can tell me anything, you know." His friend reassured him like every other time he felt negative. Even so, Kakeru put aside his worries about Syunpei and tried to act normal. It could not fool the pink haired man but it was enough to fool everyone, and that was enough. _Should I tell them? What will happen if I do? Will they let him go?_ Kakeru wonder since he was concerned on Syunpei's situation. He needed to stop this before it was too late. He could not stand it if he was to see the kid's crying face again. His heart would ache more than a knife going through it. He made plan with Hajime, his group's leader, in private to talk about it.

Meanwhile, Syunpei's school life ran smoothly than he imagined. He was being able to hang out with his friends peacefully. He attended his club at school, the gaming club. He even had time to study and revise. He felt uncomfortable by this. He thought those boastful adults were going to disturb his life continuously. It was unbelievable that they would stop without a word like that. He just met them once, but he knew them too well. He predicted it too well that after school today, they were coming to get him. And they did. His heart was debating whether this was a good sign or the opposite. Surprisingly, only Hajime was there to pick him up. It was seen as a normal pick up since he wear a disguise, prevent himself from being recognized as a pop idol. But Syunpei did not know that. He thought Hajime and the rest of Six Gravity and Procellarum were just normal crew members. That was also the main reason why they decided on him. Having someone who did not know them was rare, so meeting one like Syunpei was a one in a million opportunity. They found it was interesting since they were a famous group. Just said the name and they could hear fans screaming from a distance. "So, this is your school. How lame," the black hair man tried to tick Syunpei off but he was calm enough to answer it. "I don't care what you said. More importantly, why are you here?" He inquired with a serious look on his face. He was trying to hide his fear of him, and the fear of everyone sticking their noses in this. Hajime could sense it through his slightly stuttering reply and grin to it. "I've come to pick you up, your highness." With this, Hajime bow down to Syunpei just like a servant would. He was creating a scene that made everyone looked at their direction. Shocked, the middle schooler told Hajime off. He certainly did not want to attract any more attention than they already had. "Stop this! You're embarassing me!" Hajime chuckled as he rised, putting a silly face enough to piss Syunpei off. Again, he tried to shamelessly embarrass Syunpei in front of the school by extending his hands to him and said some sappy line in dramas. Even so, it failed since the brown hair boy quickly pulled him away from the school ground. He would make this worst even more, the number of eyes locking at them were too much. They took a stop at a cafe in town. It seemed that Hajime had something important to discuss with him. The face he put right now was solemn, like a real man's face. Because of that, Syunpei stayed quiet instead of protesting. Even if he did, it was not like he was going to listen to it anyway. The atmosphere was tense. He did not know how to overcome this. Usually he had this intimidating aura around him, an annoying aura that was. None of them said a word. It was as if they were listening to the wind, passing by to drop a message. In order to break the silence, the thin boy started talking first.

"Did something happen?" Hajime interrupted Syunpei who was about to ask the same thing. The black hair man was looking at the boy with serious eyes, there was almost no sparkles of joy in his eyes like usual. This made Syunpei had chills all over his body. He pondered by himself before speaking out the right words. If he took the wrong step here, there was no point of turning back. He carefully picked his words before sending out his voice to Hajime. "Well... Yesterday's a thing, I guess. But other than that-"

"I guess he's right." Hajime cut him off before he could continue. He seemed to be sighing, and it was not a normal sigh. The breath he released was a breath of guilt. _Who told him what exactly?_ This question ran through Syunpei's head. Did something happened last night? Was it because of him? Or was it about him? Ask after ask appear before the middle schooler's mind. He did not have the courage to say anything since Hajime was making a serious face. They said if an adult was serious, he really meant it. He drank the ice blended coffee that Hajime had bought for him sip by sip, and with every sip his heart felt heavy. He could not stand to see the devil who had made fun of him put on such a depress expression, he felt it was wrong. This was not right. "It's okay! I'm fine now right?! So why are you so worried?! Is it about me working?! Then, I'll take the job as a challenge!" Syunpei said as he slammed the table, surprising Hajime who was lost in his own train of thoughts. Some people around them witnessed the incident and shocked as well. Soft whispers could be heard surrounding their ears. The leaders of Six Gravity absentmindedly stare at Syunpei, not knowing how to respond to that. The reason he wanted to see him was to fire him after all, even though he was not completely hired. After hearing everything from Kakeru, he felt the need to let him go. He could not stand the fact that he made him cry. He could not bear the heavy feeling inside his heart. However, hearing Syunpei said all that lifted it up. His heart never felt so light, he was grateful. But why? Why would he felt that? Why did he felt glad that the kid said all that? Was his heart really that of the devil? He thought it through what it was, and found it out as soon as he looked into the brown shining eyes in front of him. The brown hair boy courageously stood up and pointed at him saying, "If anything happens, you'll take responsibility. Only when I'm at work, never outside of it. Got it?" Hajime found it amusing and laugh it out. No, it was more like he was relieved. He was happy to hear that from him. _He was... Different._ He thought as he could not wipe off his stupid grin on his face. Syunpei felt triggered by this and told him to stop. He even went to the other side of the table, pulled his sleeves and shaked him to stop his uncontrollable laugh. Suddenly, Hajime hugged Syunpei, taking him into his arms as tightly as he could. The boy that suffocated by his sudden embrace was embarrassed at first, but then he felt it became warmer and warmer. He felt comfortable being in this position. _I won't let anyone hurt you, especially myself._ The black hair man held him gentler and closer, having one of his hands caressed the middle schooler's soft brown hair. The giggles from those around them made Syunpei realized what happened was not normal. He pushed Hajime away and pulled down his hat, hiding his flustered face. "W-well, I need to go home before my sister gone mad. S-see ya." Before he could step out of the cafe, Hajime stopped him by reminding him about his job. "You'll start tomorrow. A man never goes back on his words right? Think you can handle it?" He said as he put his hands into his pockets, acting cool like he usually did. Putting a smile on his face, the kid did the same thing and stated his oath. "Just watch me! You'll be surprised!"


	3. Chapter 3 : Uduki Arata

The brown both hair and eyes boy was surprised when he arrived at the location sent by Hajime. It was a dancing studio, a place for choreographer to practice and compose a creative, original dance. This time apparently, he was helping the 'staffs' to prepare a dancing room. He was assigned in the idol's reserved room to set up the apparatus needed. He pondered by himself, what could he do in this clearly completed room? The radio was there, checked. The mirror reflected without any trouble, checked. The room was spacious and sparkly clean, checked. The floor was not that slippery, checked. The lights and air-conditioning function properly, checked. He sat in the middle of the room, crossing his arms thinking what the order actually meant. They would not trick him, would they not? _I can't just sit around like this. I need to do something._ His thought snapped as the door opened and entered the 'staffs' he currently working for. With a smile, they exchanged greetings and gathered around Syunpei to sit. This felt like a gathering rather than work atmosphere, the boy could not believe it. He suspected of them being the idol, but that was crossed out of the list in an instant it was listed. They were too cruel towards him, it could not be it. Little did the middle schooler know that he was surrounded by the most famous pop idol group in Japan. "The idol still not here huh? Wanna see us dance instead?" Iku said as he leaned backwards, had his arm acted as a stand. The others came to an agreement with a nod and sound of approval, but Syunpei refused. He told them that he would not want the room to be messy and had the idol used it after. It would ruin their reputation as the staff they had trusted. Hearing this, the idols put on a soft smile on their face. They assured him by sending You to go and ask for the supposedly idol's arrival for the room, of course it was nothing but a play. The red hair man came back with news, or a bluff, that the 'idol' had cancelled their practice hour. "We shouldn't waste a clean room like this." Shun sat up as he said it, stretching in preparation to practice their dance. The others followed his step, except for the unfitting kid who did not know what to do. _Am I really doing nothing here? Might as well go home right?_ He thought, but it popped as he inquired Hajime of his presence here. "Why don't you buy drinks for us? It could certainly be refreshing." As he finished, everyone stated their desired soft drinks for Syunpei to go grocery shopping. They even listed some junk food for them to eat later, which was in a large number. Since they were twelve of them, he should not be surprised. But he did. He cursed to himself for being too honest, he should have stayed quiet. When he finished recorded all their orders, he was ready to leave. Before he stepped out of the door, he took one last glance at the adults he associated. _They are weird and cruel, but somehow I don't hate them. Am I going senile?_

When Syunpei returned with load of bags in exhaust, he finally realised his true position. "I'm nothing but an errand boy!"

"And you did a good job on it." The middle schooler replied Hajime's words with a stern face. He continued to irritate the boy by saying he would get wrinkles fast if he kept that expression. The boy could only look away and shrugged it off, he could not fight the adults in any matter anyway. They always had their point to go against him. He distributed their orders diligently without any errors, that was what he thought. "You forgot my beer." Arata pointed out as he checked on the bags with a cold face. Syunpei could only apologize about it. He was still underage to buy them himself, so the shopkeeper forbid him. Arata did not say anything to the boy, but the others were the noisiest one. They persuaded the expressionless man to punish the boy for something he could not avoid. They suggested a lot of things, range from an embarrassing one to a painful one. The boy bet to himself that none of it would be comfortable for him. _If this isn't cruelty, I don't know what is._ Arata just stayed quiet and dismissed himself to the loo. Syunpei wondered about him, was he always like that? He inquired Kakeru, who he trusted and relied on the most. He was the only one who was kind enough to help him around when he was troubled by the others prankster. Even if it was not a direct kindness, he could feel it. "Well, he always by himself. Even though he's like that, he can cooperate with us no problem. But he is not a bad guy. He's nicer than he looks so don't worry about it." Kakeru assured the boy who was wondering about the quiet Arata. As hours passed, they played some games with each other. Of course, Syunpei was not left behind. It made him felt like somewhat special being among them. He played with them merrily, more than he was with his friends. These moments could not even go against the time he spent on his games, these moments were too precious not to cherish. He felt happy, even though he did not approve of their existence. He thought again in his mind, was he really hated this? Did he really not want this? Was he really unlucky? All of these questions were answered with a big no. Nobody would realize it, but the middle schooler was put on a soft, satisfying smile while they were having fun.

Everyone had gotten ready to leave except for one person, Arata. He liked to stay late so he could practice his singing alone. The others had known what he wanted to do, so they left without a word. However, Syunpei did not. He just met them, how could he know about Arata's routine. He stayed inside the room, despite there were only the two of them there. The black hair man knew of the boy's presence, but he continued his usual routine like he used to. He did not even care if the boy found out of his career as an idol. He did not even care if he suddenly wanted to criticize his singing. He did not care if the boy started to distant himself from him. End of that thought, Arata sang like there was no tomorrow. He let it all out with all his might, doing his best to improve his skill. This sent chills down Syunpei's spine, in a good way. He felt more calming and amazed by the man's captivating voice. He could not believe his ears that he was hearing a staff's sang and not an idol. He was totally immersed in his alluring voice that he forgot about the one who would wait for him at home, his sister. Once he remembered about it, he accidentally screamed in panic thinking what would his sister do when he came back this late. His clock's hand had already shown it was 10, the longest he had ever been outside of his comfort zone. He had never been out until this hour even when he had a discussion regarding school project. He frantically tried to leave as soon as he could. Before he even being able to stand up, Arata laid down on his lap as fast as he could. This surprised the middle school boy and his action was stopped all at once as the man landed on his thin lap. He was confused of his action, yet again none of the staffs was that normal. When he looked down at Arata, he could see that the singing siren was closing his eyes. His expression seemed more calming and soothing, making the boy unable to shove him away. He was internally screaming of his fate, bad luck one after another. Since he did not have that much of a choice, he decided to stay as he was. Watching the man's facade as he drifted away to dreamland, probably. Just sitting there made him almost fell asleep. He slapped himself to wake, he would not like the last incident to happen again. It was already awkward as it was. Before he knew it, he started to stroke Arata's hair carefully. He even held his breath every few times in order to be as quiet as possible. He would not want him to wake up while doing so. He somehow felt nostalgic of this phenomenon, as if he had gone through it all before. However, none of his memories were triggered by this. As he stroked the man's hair, his train of thought dropped a crate in his worried, crowded mind. "Adults are weird." He muttered by himself in the silent room. "Yo, Arata. You awake?" Iku had come in to pick the cold Arata up, but what he found was a lot more interesting. Syunpei had exchanged his position with Arata, who was putting his head on the man's lap. He appeared to be asleep as Arata was putting his index finger over his lip, signaling to be quiet. He was not moving even the slightest bit as to not wake the boy up. Iku grinned and wrapped his arm around the still man. "So what happened? Care to share?" Arata only returned a side glance to the curious brunette before continue to stare at Syunpei again. He let out a breath before he told the tale that has unfolded before Iku's arrival.

Arata felt a gentle touch on his head, like a mother trying to put his son to sleep. He knew it was Syunpei's doing, yet he remained silent. Minutes had passed, the irresistible stroking had come to stop and this put wonders in the man's head. He opened his eyes and looked up to the middle schooler. Turned out he fell asleep, too tired after going through all of the work today. Running around carrying food, informing others of their words, settling them down after their swift dance. His sleeping face triggered Arata to change places with him. The urge to do so was too strong that he did not waste any time to carefully placed the boy's head on his lap. He examined his face as he stroked Syunpei's hair, copying what the boy was doing before. This boy reminded him of his little brother at the village. He rarely came home to visit that he might have forgotten how he looked. One thing for sure, his brother would hate him. _I must be the worst brother ever_." Arata muttered by himself in the dark, silent room. He continued to repeat his action until he was surprised by Syunpei. The brown hair boy was putting a smiling face. An expression that shows he was having the best dream of his life. His facade was serene and calming that Arata was influenced by it, feeling the same as mentioned. Alone by himself, he smiled before kissing the boy on the forehead with care. "I will care for you like no other." He said as he continued to his action from before until Iku's arrival. Back to the present day, Iku was shocked by the story the black hair man had told him. It seemed like a bluff. He was disbelieved that the snow prince Arata could warm up to someone. He would never do that, especially to a stranger. Especially to a person like Syunpei. "Ever since he came, everyone acted weird. I don't want to fall into his curse." Iku stated as he walked with Arata who was carrying the sleeping boy on his back through the hallway. Hearing this, Arata could only chuckle. Iku was ticked off by this, thinking the man was making fun of him. Before Iku could even fight back with words, Arata cut him off. "You don't know this boy yet. He's... Very special." Iku who was confused by his statement just silently looked at Syunpei behind his back. Wondering what he meant, he set a firm goal in his heart. _I want to know what he means, and I will know it!_ They sent Syunpei home until in front of his house. They could hear his raging sister scolding him as he stepped into the front door. As they left, Iku realized that Arata still had a soft smile on his face. An expression he rarely showed around others. This made Iku curious more and more, and it also made his determination level rised. _I really need to know!_

The Procellarum and Six Gravity idols were practicing as usual when Syunpei, their errand boy proclaimed something Arata did not want to hear out of the blind. "You remind me of my neighbour's dog. No wonder I felt nostalgic. Your hair as smooth as its fur." The others were trying to hold their laughter as hard as they could, snickers could heard throughout the room. "I guess I'm gonna punish you after all." Arata stated with a straight face.

"Huh?! What for?!" Syunpei was shocked.

"For not buying my beer. 100 pushups." Arata said with a serious tone.

"Are you kidding me?! I'll die before I could finish!" Syunpei tried to avoid the unnecessary punishment.

"Then die." Arata ended his argument there before he continued practicing.

"How cruel! You don't have to be so cold." Syunpei ended his sentence with an upset tone and saddened expression. When everyone had gone home, except for Arata, Syunpei went straight to him and apologised. He tried to cover up the wound he accidentally scarred on Arata's heart. He was being brutally honest just now, that could leave a mark in him. He threw out his sorry but what he got was a head pat instead. The boy was surprised to see a smile on the solemn man's face. A smile so gentle that anyone would be sooth to see so. The man only put on a straight face all the time, it was a real once in a million time to see he smile so brightly it was blinding. "It's okay, you remind me of someone too so it's a win-win situation." He said as he gently patted over the middle schooler's head. This boy reminded him too much of his hometown, of his brother. _I'll give them a proper visit next time._ The boy suddenly had a thought crossed over his head, "I forgot to take pictures." "Die."


	4. Chapter 4 : Shimotsuki Shun

The next day went as peaceful as the past, the idol danced according to the music they put on. And once again Syunpei, as the current errand boy, had to buy their drinks to rehydrate them. However, today was more painful for Syunpei than yesterday. He was being picked on and teased by Shun, the leader of Procellarum. What made it worst was that the other member joined his side, he was surrounded by mischievous, cruel devils. The only thing he could do was being patient and endured everything they threw at him. Especially Shun, who nonstop harrassing him. His signature teasing was the held-your-chin-and-stared-deep-into-your-eyes thing. He also did other things like messing with his hair, poking his face when he was mad (which made him angrier), forced a dance with him. But he ever so often did the staring thing while holding the boy's chin, it was really uncomfortable and embarrassing for the victim. Especially when he teased further with a dramatic line from a romance TV show. Syunpei came home with an unsettling heart because of him. His face was red all the time he did all that, the heat all over his body had not qualm. It was not out of anger, but out of embarrassment. He went straight into his room, jumped on his bed and covered his face with the pillow. He could not stop thinking about the reason why Shun did all that. _He was just teasing me right? A joke. But again, I..._ Somehow, a tiny part in his heart wanted the silver devil to be serious on his actions. The way Shun held his chin with his slender hand was gentle, the way he stared deep into the boy's soul made him not being able to move. This very scene had always only seen in romance series. What came after those scenes was always a kiss. The brown hair boy had a sudden thought on his head, it was that he might wanted that to happen to him. Realising what he was thinking was wrong, he screamed inside the pillow he held so tight as to not let his sister heard him. _Idiot! What was I thinking?! There's no way that would happen! We're both guys! Moreover, the age gap is too large..._ He ended his thought with a depress touch. This made him frustrated more and struggle to hold in his embarrassment. He decided to erase the memory about that event by playing some games before going to bed. He hoped in his heart that he would be able to sleep in peace tonight. He did not want the white hair devil to conquer his mind even when he was home. _This better work!_

It was a warm morning that Syunpei was walking through a garden of flowers, passing under a carnation arch before reaching a mesmerising fountain. "Where am I?" Inquired the boy in confusion. The fountain was surrounded with bushes of black roses, this was not a good sign. He looked around to find an answer, but a sudden pulled at his arm made him stopped and turned. What he found out did not make him any happier than before, not even close to settle his confusion. It was Shun, he was looking at him with a concern eyes. His trembling, shining gray eyes made the boy frozen. Those eyes had direct contact with his, impaled into his mind. He could not move a muscle nor uttering a single word. The man's grip was loose, he could have taken his hand and ran away but he could not do it. Somehow the Shun in front of him seemed to beg him not to. His facade was different from what he had usually seen, he was sad. Before he knew it, the man who was in front of him lean in closer to him. Syunpei was surprised by his action. _Don't tell me he is going to kiss me?!_ The loose grip now had tighten, and the gaze he gave was more powerful than before. The boy stood still and did nothing to stop him like he usually would. He could not bring himself to, he felt sympathy to the man. Shun leaned closer and closer to the point where Syunpei could feel the man's breath, their mouth were to meet. "Syunpei! Wake up! You'll late for school!" Syunpei sister's voice had brought the boy back to reality. He opened his eyes wide as soon as the sound wave of the shout reached his ears. His heart was beating fast, his body was filled with heat, his mind was stirred. He rose from bed, staring into an empty space before he slapped himself in the head. _It was all a dream. What a pity..._ From that random thought of his, it made him felt weirded out and covered his bright red face. He felt pathetic for thinking so, it was not what a normal boy would say. _Why am I like this? I... don't like it._ Another shout from his dear sister made him jumped out of bed and got ready to school.

Syunpei went to work like normal, but he had to avoid the prankster Shun all day. After what he had dreamt, there was no way he could think normally of it and acted fine about it. The idols wanted him to get along with Shun like yesterday after seeing how he ran from the silver hair man. They decided to help Shun talked to Syunpei again, but the boy avoided their persuasion with ease. The boy had determined to keep it this way until he forgot about it, he would be a teenager that could endure anything. His heart felt heavy and distressed doing so though. Whether he wanted to or not, he had to. He did not want to think of Shun that way, he did not want the silver devil to found out what he thought about him. This would ruin his reputation, he would be ashamed to death. He kept on avoiding the man until his work hours ended and gone home. He was so fast that the others could not stop him, they did not have a reason to hold him back too. They turned to Shun with a concern look. A hurtful expression could be seen on the man's face, he could not hide the fact that he felt distressed by Syunpei's constant avoiding today. Was what he did wrong? He just wanted to get along with him, treating him like a younger brother. Maybe the way I approach him is wrong. I should apologize. Shun thought to himself while stretching out, not knowing his friends were worried about him. They tried to cheer him up, but it was useless since Shun did not feel any sadness. They were frustrated that the silver devil was so carefree that sometimes it scared them. Even if he put on the purest smile anyone would ever see, they always thought there was something behind those smile. Secretive as he was, they decided to let it slide. "Since you said it like that, I guess it's fine." Hajime stated, saying it to eliminate his worries. With that, they ended their tiresome practice for the day. On the other hand, Syunpei was struggling with a burden of guilt and uneasiness of what he did today. Every action had their consequences, what worst was if you experience karma. That was what Syunpei fear the most, what awaits for him in the future was something that he could not predict. Whether it would be a better day, the usual or worse than today, he had to go through it all with a strong heart. _I can't continue running away like this, I have to face him properly tomorrow!_ He ended up his monologue by tightening his fist, a sign of determination had risen in him. He might not be able to do it properly but that did not make his heart waver. He only had one reason for this, he wanted to continue having fun like usual with them. All of them including Shun and not be awkward about it like right now. He wanted to feel their warmth equally again, laugh like there was no tomorrow again. He felt like his family circle had expanded, he thought of them as his family. He never had an older brother who could understand him, who he could relate to, who he could depend on. Sure his sister was always there by his side but not all of the things he experienced could be shared with her. They did not match each other except the flowing family blood in their vein. While walking under the starry sky, the brown hair boy had decided to face Shun properly, whether it would go wrong or not. _I'm not going to run away! Not like him!_

The sun had risen faster than expected, the school was over in a blink of an eye. Syunpei had never know that time could fly by faster than he imagined. He thought he could prepare before confronting the man he ignored yesterday, Shun. His heart was anxious and increasing in each step he took to their practice building. Sweat could be seen flow like a river on his body. Was it the heat of summer or was it an anxiety wash away? The boy tried to arranged his words to apologize properly as to not hurt Shun's feeling any longer. An advice once said a wound on the outside could always be cured but the inside could not. He tried to practice his apology on his way to work, muttering to himself like a mantra. He tried to say it out loud, just in case if his voice would not come out. Closing his eyes, imagined that Shun was in front of him, he expressed out his words. "I'm sorry about yesterday, it was my fault. I... Shouldn't have done that."

"Really?" A voice admonished him not too far from his ear, he knew this familiar presence all too well. As soon as he opened his eyes, he turned around to find the least person he wanted to see at the wrong time and places. Shun, the person he felt apologetic to have appeared before his eyes. He suddenly became mute and paralyzed, not being able to say anything other than stuttering words. He was not scared, he was not shocked, he was unprepared. Shun notice how Syunpei reacted, he must had scared the middle schooler. It was not the first time this had happened to him anyway. _How annoying. Don't come near me. You flea._ He did not care what the boy was going to say to him. Those hurtful words had become one with his soul, he could endure all of it. Even if it was coming from Syunpei, who he wanted to befriend. "I... I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done what I did yesterday. It was my fault. I shouldn't have been too rude." Shun was surprised by the boy's sudden bow and apology, was it not his fault? Why did the boy he teased was the one who apologized? Why was he, the culprit, did not do the same as the victim did? He came to a conclusion that made he carved a soft smile on his face, this boy was so pure he wanted to protect him. Someone like him, that could stand his nonchalant behavior, was what he had always wanted and would not let him go no matter what. Once Syunpei stood properly to face Shun, he gave a head pat to praise him like a good boy. "How about an ice cream together? Sounds good?" Shun said with a wide smile on his face. If it was seen by a girl, they would have fallen for him. Syunpei replied the smile with the same gesture, nodding in sounding his agreement.

They went to a convenience store nearby to buy the ice cream, they even bought for the rest of the member. Eating ice cream while enduring the walk during summer was the most leisurely thing anyone had done. Right now Syunpei was doing it with his claimed most hated member of them all Shun. He was different from his usual self, was it really a strong impact? But he should be able to handle it because, he's a man. Syunpei thought as he finished the last piece of his ice cream, not realizing he was putting such a long face. The silver hair man took a glance at the middle schooler and saw the change in his face. A hand, Shun's hand, stroke over Syunpei's cheek that made him looked towards the owner in surprised. Their eyes were locked into each other, not a blink or distracted. "There's a piece here. You really are a man. Only a man could be this dirty." Shun wiped off an ice cream piece at the edge of the boy's mouth and lick it into his. This made Syunpei blushed and desperately trying to hide his beet red face. He knew the man was not doing it on purpose, he knew it from the way he was doing so. Even if it was a taunt, he would have elongated it. There was no cheesy line of dramas either so he was serious. _I was shocked for a moment there. But I'm glad. Even this kind of guy could be this nice._ They walked throughout the street as the cicadas' noise drowned the silence atmosphere.


	5. Chapter 5: Hadzuki You

"Say, are you free tomorrow? Let's go watch a movie!" Syunpei was surprised to hear this invitation from You, a member of the Procellarum.

There was a moment of silence before the man admonished the inattentive middle schooler to break it. The boy inquired the reason he was chosen instead of the other members, they could have taken his place perfectly. You answered him with the information he did not predicted to hear, he wanted to watch the new horror movie with him as friends. _But I'm bad at movies! Not to mention horror! I hate them!_ The middle schooler refused to go with the red hair man, saying he was busy with clubs even if he did not have one. The man somehow pleaded to him, desperately clinging onto his arm saying he was lonely. Some of the members were busy with recording and the others had their respective soulmate already, were what You claimed but were protest by them. The red hair man also almost leaked their true identities to the clueless boy. Fortunately, it was covered again with Shun and Hajime fast thinking to lie and masked the truth. They had a little bit of an argument before their attention turned to Syunpei again. The boy was reluctant to go, but the man insisted by saying it was an order as an errand boy. He was an 'employee' of the 'staffs', so he needed to listen to his superior. The brown hair boy felt defeated and upset that he lost with just that claim, he started to question his fate working with them.

"It's decided then! Tomorrow at 10, don't be late!" You informed the middle schooler before leaving the room with Koi.

Syunpei felt at lost on what to do, he was not sure he could endure it tomorrow. Kakeru who was watching from afar could see Syunpei's worries through his facade, he started to feel the same as well. Before Kakeru could start his brotherly act towards the boy, Hajime stopped him. His group leader's stated that it best for him to solve it by himself, it was a process of learning and dealing with problems. Hearing this, a bulb light up inside Kakeru's mind.

"Are you testing him?" The blonde man asked.

Hajime nodded and replied that they needed to find a requirement for him to work with them, a reason for him to stay by their side. The manager and the other staffs had started to suspect Syunpei's presence in the broadcasting building, thinking he was here as a spy. People would use various methods to bring others down, and this successful broadcasting company was one of the targeted victims. Because of that, every worker in the building was cautious of their surrounding especially the idols. If their fans found out about their bad images or problems, would they not be upset on them?

"I asked You since he had the most free time. There has to be at least something about him that makes his appearance here remarkable to us." Hajime explained his reasons further as to not confused Kakeru.

The blonde man once again took a glance at the boy with a worried look. He might be smiling while playing with Shun and the others, but was he really letting happiness into him? Kakeru could only sigh and accept this event. _He better pass this, or I'll regret for being too late to say it to him._

You and Syunpei went to the movie as he promised the next day. You did not realize that the boy next to him had his face turned white and his body turned ice. The boy scribbled a lot of excuses in his head to run away, to avoid revealing that he actually afraid of ghosts. But as he thought of the reply the redhead man would give, he decided to drop it off. There was no way he could win against their argument. He had gone through it with all of them after all. The boy could only sigh in seeing the man excitingly picking out his favourite popcorn and soda from afar, without realizing a smile carved on his face Syunpei did not care anymore, he just wanted the day to end as quickly as possible. He wanted to make this outing as short as possible. He wanted to make this moment as memorable as ever. He was snapped out of his haze as You pushed the beverages he bought onto his hands for him to hold. You reminded him that he was just an errand boy and nothing more than that, he should not expect that he was more than that. Reality hit Syunpei hard, he was frozen in shock. His mind was shattered of the man's word, he felt nothingness in him now. He thought this was an outing between friends but he was fooled.

They entered the hall they were assigned to watch the movie, sitting side by side in the dark thrilling room. When the movie reached its horrifying part, You turned to the middle schooler to see his reaction. Surprisingly, the boy did not flinch from his seat. His blank stare showed how uninterested he was about the cinema screen in front of him. He could tell from the way the boy ate the popcorn bits by bits. You ruffled the boy's hair to congratulate him for passing the first stage of his examination, where he exclaimed it out loud. This confused Syunpei, what exam? He was a second too late to inquire the man before he was indulge in the movie again. With a stirred mind, the boy watched the movie half-heartedly with a conscious mind. Even so, the movie did not scare him at all. Whether he achieved the trait of bravery or his mind were busy thinking about this 'exam' the man slipped out of his mouth, he just sit there like a living doll.

When the movie ends, they make their ways to the shopping mall they had always hung out at. Syunpei was once again being test by You. He was to choose fashionable clothes for them, a food court that suited their taste, carried the heavy loading bags all by himself. With each task You assigned to him, he was reminded of how low his position was. An errand boy, nothing but an insolent fool following orders from his superior. The boy felt a raging fire lit inside his heart, but he calmed it down by breathing slowly as a form of meditation. The breezy wind he breathed in had put the fire out. He was frustrated by the man's action, but he could felt that he was doing nothing but a teasing.

"So, feeling like giving up yet?" You smirked as he leaned down to Syunpei.

What surprised him was that the boy did not flinch, he was still as a stone. His determined eyes were staring straight into You's soul, shaking his spirit to tease him more. Something about this boy seems interesting, he wondered what it was. Even so, the redhead was impressed of Syunpei's performance in overcoming this test. He almost passed it all, the last trial had awaited for the boy once they stepped to the temple.

"I feel a bit pious right now, why don't we take a stop at the temple?" You suggested, though it was more like an order.

Syunpei followed the man's step without knowing where he was actually going and what he was going to face. Whatever it is, it better be good . Once they arrived at a temple nearby, a man was there to pray for prosperity and health. More like staring into nothingness, what a mysterious man the boy thought. However, something about him made Syunpei felt nervous. The man was wearing a long coat to his feet, something hanging on his ear that implied he was wearing a mask, a straw hat just enough to hide his face. According to the middle schooler's knowledge, this was what a paparazzi would look like. Even though this stereotypical appearance was wrong, but the boy believed it as it often presented in TVs. _Is this a bad thing? Should I tell him to go somewhere else?_ The boy took a glance at You before he could speak out his worries.

"You're here, I know you'd come." The long coat man spoke with a broken deep voice sent chills down Syunpei's spine.

There was an intimidating aura surrounding them, this was not a good sign. Before they could react, the mysterious man turned around with a knife in his hand and rushed towards You. Voluntarily, Syunpei put himself in front the redhead, shielding him from the knife that was about to come right to him. At that moment somehow, the boy wanted to protect this man who kept pushing him down. He was ready to sacrifice himself to protect You, but was what he was doing right now would mean something to him? Was his death would be appreciated and mourned over? Thinking over, Syunpei closed his eyes and could only wait until the knife stabbed through his fragile body.

"Congratulations, you passed the test!" Syunpei opened his eyes in surprise hearing that voice, it was Kai.

He looked the most matured one among the staffs so he respected the man for being so. However, aftee seeing him in this horrible disguise popping a confetti in front of him made him lost it. Kai could see the annoyed expression on the boy's face, and he knew the exact words that was going to speak out by the boy.

"We were researching your qualifications in order to continue working with us. To our surprise, you have a lot that we interested in." Kai put on a smile as he finished those sentences, making Syunpei felt more annoyed than he was.

He excused himself since he could not take all this nonsense play they were putting and walked out of the temple. A hand grabbed and pulled his arm that made him come to a stop, he turned to see You looked at him with a bright face. Even so, only Syunpei could tell that the man was hiding a painful facade from being seen. They said eyes could be a powerful communication mechanism, and they were right. The boy could understand the man's feeling even without hearing him talking first. He was glad yet he was worried, he was happy yet he was upset. Before the middle schooler admonished the redhead You, the man spoke first.

"Let's tell everyone the great news, together." His grip suddenly tighten a bit and it made the boy uncomfortable.

He felt the man's hand was shaking and cold blood running through it.

Syunpei looked up to him and said, "You were scared it wasn't Kai weren't you?"

"Yes... " You's answered with a low tone.

"What a joke, I thought you're better than this." Syunpei shrugged it off.

"I couldn't help it! His acting were too good! I really thought it was someone else!" You's exclaimed as he let out his fear.

"Was that supposed to be a compliment? Thanks." Kai replied as he popped another confetti that made the mood even more immature.

The redhead and matured looking man had a little fight before Syunpei's sudden laugh stop them. The boy could not hold himself how childish these adults were. He could not believe the man who was looking down on him actually worried sick about him. He grabbed You by the arms and pulled him, walking towards the direction that he had became a habit to go.

"Let's go back! Everyone's waiting!" You and Kai who heard this, seeing the wide spread smile on the boy's face mirrored his action. "Yeah, let's go."

As they reached the studio, everyone had prepared to celebrate Syunpei's success of becoming an official employee to them. He was teased and played around by Shun as always but instead of getting angry, he was enjoying it. He was glad he met these wonderful people, he was glad he could put his mind off from that good-for-nothing man for once. He was happy being here around them who understood him. You watched from afar as the other members joked around the middle schooler. Hajime admonished him for being a man who did not know how to have fun.

"It's not that, he was willing to protect me. I'm afraid that one day, we will regret of hiring him. I hate guilt." You said as he looked down looking troubled.

He did not want the boy to hurt because of him, he did not want to regret not being able to protect him. Hajime pat on his back, reassured him that everything would be fine.

"He didn't like it when people worrying about him like this. As long as he still fine in front of us, nothing will go wrong." Koi that was in the mischief group of teasing Syunpei called out to Hajime to join them. With this, Hajime left the redhead man to his own thought and did what he was called out for. It took a long time before You started walking towards the group and continued the teasing everyone was throwing at the boy. While having fun, You found himself oddly happy by staring at the boy's joyful expression. A smile carved on his face, he was certain that this middle schooler was special to them in every way possible. As he held his hand out to brush Syunpei's hair, his heart was ascertained what he thought of him and that he treasured him. _I will not let you wither, my sunflower._


	6. Chapter 6 : Yayoi Haru

_Author's note: I'm currently lack of ideas on this series but, I can't left it not updated so here we go. Pleasr bear with my writing. -,-"_

Summer vacation was just around the corner, everyone would be ecstatic when the date was nearing. The relaxing beaches, the refreshing ice cream, the summer wind that could make anyone gave in to leisure. However, it was the opposite for Syunpei. These things stressed him even more, especially when he got his quiz paper back with a big, red F on it.

"Wow, F again? I'm not surprise." His friend, Riku, admonished the boy who seemed to be in a slump.

The blue eyes, blonde hair boy was furious of his friends condition. This is because Syunpei only had 1 F, the others were As. Riku knew that the only bad ones he could get was in history. The boy made a sarcastic comment on his brown hair friend and his words stabbed through Syunpei's motivation. However, this cruel treatment would not break off their friendship that easily. These two had been friends ever since primary school, they were neighbour's to each other after all. They knew everything about each other, but somehow the blonde hair boy Riku was curious about one thing that had been stirring in his mind.

"Where have you been all this while? I see you came home late at night. This is not like you at all."

Syunpei could feel that his friend was worried about him, his upset face was enough to tell. They had been distant from each other since he worked as an errand boy. They usually walked home together, dragged on about school, playing video games and help each other with their homework. Syunpei had almost forgotten that his friend Riku was there for him, he was sure to think of him before the idols enter his life. The adults changed everything about his life and he did not like it, especially when he made a friend feel miserable.

"I'll make up for it. I pro-"

"That's not it!"

Riku sudden shout of anger and smashed on the table not only halt Syunpei to silence, the whole class were surprised as well. The brown hair boy could see that his friend was trying to hold in his tears. What did he said to make him this sad? What did he do to make him shed tears like this? Was his words not arranged properly that it offended him? But he only being able to say mid-sentence, he stayed quiet to figure out the problem here.

"You really don't understand it, do you? Some friends."

With his word, Riku left the classroom, leaving the tense aura he birthed behind. Syunpei looked down on his desk, it felt as if the scattered paper were mocking him. Riku had never been this upset before, he had never spoken in such an anger tone as long as they had been together. He clutched the papers in frustration, feeling that he was in the wrong here. The negative feeling of guilt engulfed him amidst the cheerful classroom he was in. This does not feel right.

The idols were worried, more like confused to see their favourite errand boy was quiet and daydreaming an awful lot today. He frequently stared into space that they felt a little uncomfortable by this. Koi, the cheerful one out of them admonished the boy, putting him out of his gaze.

"Are you okay? You don't look too well. If you have any problem, you can share it with us."

The pink haired man told in such a soft, calm voice that it made the boy surrendered to his kindness. He told them about his fight with Riku, the closest of friend he once had. Riku was patient enough to endure his childish,immature behaviour but when the boy became too secretive, that was where his limit was reached. Syunpei's father put his trust on Riku to watch over his son, he wanted him to be influenced by well-behaved people like Riku. Even though the middle schooler was tired to hear his name being said all over again, he still respect the boy. He still wanted to be friends with Riku, he still like Riku.

"If this continue, I don't know what to do." Syunpei sighed.

The idols looked at each other, not knowing what to do. They did know this kind of thing would happened but they did not thought it would be sooner. Before Kakeru could broke the silence, Yoru cut him off.

"This studio seems too gloomy, why don't you go and buy some snacks?" Yoru put some money into the boy's hand, shoving him out of the room.

Syunpei was confused, but his obligation to that order made him move his foot away from the room. This left the others completely speechless, thinking what he wanted to do.

"You sent him out to discuss huh? Very clever." Shun made a remark on Yoru's action sarcastically.

"So that our discussion can go smoother, no worries on exposing. Now, where should we begin?"

Syunpei kept thinking of his argument with Riku over and over again in his head. He did not even look where he was walking, who he stumbled upon. He did not even replied back to his sister admonishing him on the street. The girl wanted to follow her lovely brother, investigating what he had been doing after school that he came back late at night. It worried her, especially when he was growing in a rebellion phase. However, the group of friends she was surrounded with prevented her from moving another step towards Syunpei. She reluctantly continued to walk with her friends.

As Syunpei entered the store he had always went, he was surprised to find Riku there. This made him glued to his foot at the entrance, froze up on what to say. Riku saw him too, having the same reaction but he walked pass him like every day strangers on the street. Not uttering a word nor give a glance, this left a large scale of guilt in Syunpei's heart.

 _If I feel like this everytime I see him, it's going to be difficult to keep a straight face._ _Especially around them. I don't want to worry the staffs, I don't want them to fail because of me._

The brunette boy could only take it in for now and obey the 'staffs'' command. Once he had done shopping and came back with the requested snacks, another surprise made him shocked and panicked. The 'staffs' had gone through his stuff in his school bag, what worst was that they found his history's quiz paper. While Shun made a taunting comment on his quiz, the boy tried to quiet him down with all his might. Whether with an argument, trying to take the paper away, or made an impactful comeback, he was giving it his all to hide his embarrassment regarding his bad score. Kai stopped his fighting with Shun by patting him on the head, giving him reassuring words.

"It's okay, you can turn this around. All you got to do is ask for help." The man finished his sentence with a wink, hoping it will work on the boy.

Haru took the paper from Shun's hand while his head was above the clouds and examined it thoroughly. After a few seconds, he finally spoke up while locking his eyes to the young brunette.

"I think I know your problem, and I can help you if you want. Perhaps your labour will lessen as you study, no?" Haru turned his attention to Hajime with eyes telling him to agree on this.

Being a worrywart towards the boy himself, Hajime nodded in agreement to Haru's statement. Syunpei also agreed without hesitation because Haru was one of the few people that treat him as nicely as Kakeru. Why Kakeru became an example was out of the question, the young man was the most comfortable he could be with. During break of their practices, Haru would sacrifice his time to teach Syunpei what he was weak at. This made the boy felt sorry towards the intelligent man, the so-called 'Harupedia'. He must be stressful and tired for wasting his time teaching the brunette. He gave up his free, resting time just to help him without receiving a reward in return.

 _He must have seen me as a burden. But it's not entirely my fault._ _He volunteered to help me, I could have found someone else to replace him but..._ The boy took a quick glance at Haru, his current history lecturer. The way his hair was hanging across his face, the serious expression he gave out, the clear captivated voice travelled across his ears made him wished Haru could teach him for life. The thought made the brown hair boy flustered and shake off his head to rid off the heat that spread on his face. _This weird thoughts again... This is all Shun's fault!_ Then, Syunpei spoke out of the blue to Haru while they were in their studying session.

"Sorry for bothering you. I'm such a nuisance, am I?" Haru who was shocked by Syunpei's word took a moment to reply back to him, with a giggle.

 _Now I know why they say he is special._ This confused the boy furthermore other than the history questions Haru had given to him for practice. The light blonde hair man patted the boy's head with a calm smile across his face, silently telling him it was fine and he did not mind it. I'll help you reach the top, no matter what. The brunette's face turned slightly red out of relieve for his answer. They proceed to study until the night comes.

"This is bad!" Syunpei informed loudly to all of the 'staffs' as he entered their practice room, his voice was in a scared and panicked tone.

Aoi approached him and inquired of what he actually meant by it. All the idol members were worried of his condition, whether it was a small or big problem he was facing. The brunette told them that Riku, his sulking friend had challenged him in order to win his heart back. He needed to get an A in his upcoming quiz history to show that he was worthy of being his friend again. Hearing this, the idols felt what the boy was feeling at the moment. It was intense for a rivalry between friends, especially on his weak point. They turned to Haru for suggestion to overcome this tension.

"The only thing we can do is study harder. Are you ready for 5th gear?" Haru said as he fixed the eyewear on his head to stabilize its position.

Kakeru who was worried the most fixed his eyes on Syunpei to see his reaction. To his surprise, Syunpei was determined and prepared to pull an all nighter just to defeat his F on history. He told them that whether it was for Riku or for himself, he needed to do his best so that Haru's effort would not be in vain. Shocked by his words, Haru had no words to utter back instead he felt grateful and proud of what the brunette had become. Kept to his words, Syunpei and Haru went through their study session all night long at a hotel nearby the studio. Luckily tomorrow was the weekend so it was the best time to do so. With an excuse of studying at his friend's house, the boy succeed in getting his sister's permission to stay over. However, this made a curiosity float around in Syunpei's mind.

He questioned Haru while he was checking on his practice paper, "Why do you guys never bring me to your dorms? Are outsiders prohibited from entering the area?"

Haru as intelligent as he was had a believable reason on his head. He was prepared to answer anything the boy was curious about, especially inquiries regarding them. He replied in a stable tone to hide his nervousness of the boy finding out their secrets.

"This is because some of the idols were living in the same building as us. It would be troublesome if commoners were to find out where they live, don't you think so?" They continued to chat while Haru found the boy's mistakes within the practice he had done.

"Well, I thought you don't like me coming to your place. I mean, having a child hanging out with adults seemed a bit disturbing right?" Syunpei told Haru what was stirring in his heart.

With this, Haru could only laughed it off before replying seriously in a reassuring tone.

"Syunpei, we like you. Never in a second do we doubt on having you as our errand boy. Moreover you're a friend. We don't want any rumors to pop up that it could disturb our relationship. We want to be able to see you again, Syunpei."

The silence came after that gave an awkward atmosphere to the brunette, his words made him flustered a bit. No one had said something significant like that about him, no one had seen him as an important person, not even his father.

 _These guys are weird, and here I thought Haru would be normal._

The boy turned to his books, trying to hide his red face.

 _I guess I'm wrong._

They continued revising again after Haru had completed marking the boy's practice paper.

Hours had pass by faster than sound, Haru went out to buy some coffee for both him and Syunpei as a fuel to stay up late. It was already midnight when he left, the brunette seemed hazy as he stepped out of the door. He walked through the street in his disguise while thinking about Syunpei back at the hotel. How he said that he would do this for him, how he was worried the idols would hate him. It was somewhat amusing in his head, he smiled in solitude as he felt the warmth over Syunpei's word.

 _He care about us that much, I will not let him fall._

He obliged on his own promise as he stepped into the cafe he trusted his taste bud to and bought what he came there for. Once Haru reached back at their room in the hotel, he found Syunpei fell asleep on the bed surrounded by history's notes. The scene before him as if the boy was sleeping in a garden among the wild growing flowers. Haru could only sigh and smiled as he tidied the notes and covered Syunpei's body with the blanket. The man sat beside the brunette, staring at him as he caressed his hair. He started to notice how smooth the boy's skin was, how soft his hair was, how glossy his lips glow within the night lamp, how tempting his heart was to go in for a kiss.

 _But I don't want to harm him, I'll betray his trust._

It was weird how he came to be so important in the idols' lives, he was everything to them. Someone ordinary like him had become an extraordinary part of their lives, this fact had been proven with the rest of the members during their private consultation.

 _If the others feel the same, then it's going to be a problem._

Seeing the boy fast asleep made him fell into slumber land not too long after that. He ended up hugging the boy in his sleep, cuddling up against each other to warm themselves from the cold air-conditioner. Both of them felt bliss and slept soundly as the night passed by to excuse itself for the awakening day.


	7. Chapter 7 : Riku's conclusion

Monday had come, the school had started, the quiz was on. Syunpei felt quite nervous as he answered the quiz given to his classroom. Once a while when he felt lost and given up, he always remembered Haru's tutor and how his voice was calming to him. With this, he got back right up on his quiz paper and started writing smoothly. Riku who was watching from afar was not feeling the best and seeing how well Syunpei was doing did not help him in any way. However, he could not help but carving a smile on his friend's behaviour.

He had always admired the brunette for his carefree and determined traits, how he would fight for his goal despite his father forbid him from achieving it. Not enough, he supported Riku to become an animator even though his family looked down on the occupation. The blonde hair boy's passion was the one thing he could not let go, and Syunpei was the only person who helped him stick to it. His encouragement, whether through words or emotions, he was a great friend anyone could ask for. _I guess I'll forgive him_.

The day continued as normal as it could, as peaceful it had always been. Gladly, Syunpei obtained the grade that he was craving for. The big red A across his paper made him felt accomplish, he could not wait for Haru to know how much he had been a help towards him. He decided to give him something in return, but he did not know what made a good reward for a child to give to an adult. He pondered for a moment before startled by Riku's slam on the table.

"Daydreaming again? You lucky you win this time." Riku said as he showed his paper to Syunpei, which he got B in.

Not believing the truth in front of him, the brunette made a sympathetic comment. Riku returned the favour with a sarcastic one, and a playful fight started between them. They talked and joked around like they always did, teased and played around like what friends would do.

"I just want to help you, that's all. Your sister is worried about you, so I thought I'd investigate. But knowing you, and you knowing me, I can't do it." Riku interrupted their lovely time with a serious conversation that Syunpei could not bear, but he had to.

When his sister jumped into the scene, he knew this was something serious yet ridiculous to fret about. He could only listen to what Riku had to confide to him as he spoke more in the next second.

"You know, it's just that we were worried about you. We thought you were being bullied or being threatened." Riku paused as the image of the things he said appeared in his head.

He looked down, gripped both his hands to gather the courage to overcome the images' false emotion. Well, he's not wrong on this one. Syunpei thought sarcastically as the 'staffs' image came into his mind. They did threaten him when they first met. Somehow, it did not seem like a bad threat at all. He did not do any terrible labour nor illegal activities, he was treated equally and kindly among them. This reassured the brunette's heart that he was in safe hands after all.

"But, since you are fine as you usually are, I guess it's fine. Tell us when you're ready, about this secret of yours." Riku ended his sentence and looked up to see a melancholic expression on Syunpei's face.

He told him not to worry and requested him to tell his sister too, "I'm in the care of kind people, don't worry about a thing!"

The idols celebrated Syunpei's achievement for the day, getting back with his friend and getting an A in history. They nonstop complimented Syunpei of his determination and hard work throughout the week. The boy brushed it off and diverted all the kind words towards Haru, the lecturer who helped him with his revising.

"Without your help, I won't be able to defeat Riku and get back our friendship. I owe you my thanks." The brunette said as he clenched his fist and placed it on his chest as a sign of gratitude.

Without him, he would be lost of losing his friend. Without him, he would not be able to overcome his failure. Without him, he would not be this grateful to encounter this strange group of 'staffs'. Haru smiled to him and replied his thanks with a nod, no words could describe how shocked and proud he was to be of help to the boy. He would not expect him to say it out loud among the members, it could create a jealousy among them. But no one seemed to care, they continued on pouring their love towards the boy. Shun who kept on teasing him, Hajime who joined the white hair devil, You who kept nudging his head, Arata who made a sincere comment with such monotonous voice that emitted warmth. He was relieved of it, _I guess we'll just share him_.

Then, a voice of opinion echoed throughout the room. It was Koi's who seemed to have a mischievous plan up his head. "How about a reward? You owe him after all, right?" Haru was oblivious on this thought, but the others were the noisiest on it. Syunpei hesitantly stated his absence of rewards due to not knowing what to give. They tried to continue on their current topic, but the manager took a stop and scolded them for playing around. They ended up having to halt the conversation and resume their practice, Syunpei was also being sent away to buy beverages for the 'staffs'. Before they began, Haru told them of his personal request regarding Syunpei. Without any question, the leaders agreed along with the others to give them some private moment when he returned.

When Syunpei returned, he was shocked to find only Haru was in the room. He inquired the adult of the others' location, he needed to distribute the drinks to them. Sometimes the 'staffs' worked at different rooms so it was quite challenging to keep track on their footstep in one day. Haru reassured him that it was fine not to rush things, the others would wait on him patiently.

"I wanted to be alone with you, asking on my rewards. So, what will it be?" Syunpei who was already stunned by Haru's closeness, having them face to face with each other and his calming voice vibrated into his ears made him nervous.

His heart was throbbing faster than his fatigued self after a jog, his breathing was off rhythm. He was clueless on what to do, what to give that could satisfy his heart. I only have one thing on my mind, and it's ridiculous thanks to a certain someone! Without any further hesitation, Syunpei moved close towards Haru and kissed his cheek. The blonde man could not believe that the boy's soft lip was touching against his cheek. As the brunette backed out, his breath could be felt against Haru's face. It was a moment full of surprise and tension, it made the man wanted more. Haru regained control of himself and calmed himself down properly, ignoring the confused expression Syunpei was giving away. With a red face and embarassment filling up his body, the brunette looked away to hide it.

"Well, I hope you like your reward. Though it's simple and weird, sorry." The boy said in stutter and whisper that only Haru could hear him.

The man before him smiled, amused by his action and reaction of the aftermath. Never did it cross his mind that he would go for it nor did he thought of it, this boy was unpredictable in his own way. Haru replied in the most sweet, reassuring tone he could emitted towards Syunpei.

"Don't worry, I love it. Thank you."


	8. Chapter 8 : Kisaragi Koi

"We're not dating!" Syunpei was surprised by a sudden shout across the hallway as he walked towards the usual meeting place. He recognized that voice very well, it was Koi's. _What's that all about? Is he arguing with someone? Not between them right?_ As he walked to find the source of the heated argument, he found Koi was talking with someone in the corner of the hallway he was walking in. He hide himself so that he could eavesdropped on what happened to him, it might be something important that the others did not know about.

As he heard over their argument, he could tell that Koi was really furious on the discussed topic. "How many times do I have to tell you?! I'm not dating her! Why won't you trust me and leave me alone?!" The brunette was shocked, his heart was hurt from hearing those words. A lot of questions started to appeared around his head, it was confusing that it made him dizzy. _Who was this girl he was rumored dating with? Was he close to her? Why would they be together if he was not? Why did an errand boy like him care about this? Most important of all, why did his chest hurt as if being stabbed by a sharp knife? Why am I like this? I don't like it._ He clenched his chest with both his hands and endured the pain until the argument ends.

As silence existed before Syunpei, he saw Koi and the anonymous walked separate ways without uttering a single word to each other. The boy was glad and released a sigh of relieve that Koi did not see him as he walked pass by him on the side. Syunpei who was hiding reappeared himself in the hallway and started to walk towards their practice room as always. It's better to keep my mouth shut.

As days passed, Syunpei kept on stumbled upon Koi and his argument partner at the hallway and could not help but to eavesdrop. It became somewhat troublesome to hide from them and remained silence throughout the fight, he had the urge to stand for Koi. He knew this would hurt himself more somehow, but curiosity got the best of him.

However the next particular day, Syunpei did not hear any shouting or ranting in the hallway with the voices he was too familiar with. It seemed peaceful and quiet that it was hard to believe. However, his duty as the errand boy of the 'staffs' forced his feet to go to work. When he reached his destination, he was surprised to see that Koi was not there. Moreover the group did not practice like they always did, perhaps because of Koi's absence. _Was one missing member would affect them? They are only background dancers right?_ When Syunpei kept on seeing them practice instead of the 'idols' they were working for, he started to question them of their role. They were not capable of answering that since they were unprepared, so Syunpei predicted that they were background dancers. The idols agreed to his idea immediately, saying that their work were too fancy for him to comprehend. Therefore, the brunette kept the idea in his head for now unless a new suspicion came up.

Syunpei asked Kakeru what happened and why was Koi absent. He was close with him after all, he would know what prevented him from coming to work. Kakeru invited Syunpei to sit beside him, which the boy obeyed, before he began telling him the answers to his questions. "Koi was accused of something wrong, something he did not do. So he took the day off to settle it once and for all." The blonde young man said as he gaze far off in the room. Syunpei could feel the sorrow in his tone of voice, but still it weirded him out. "What does this have to do with the others? They seem sad just like you." Kakeru was shocked to hear the brunette's word towards him, it was as if he told him not to cry. He could tell how I feel? What an amazing boy. The blonde young adult replied back with a smile before spitting out his reply. "He is the mood maker in the group. Without him, we feel kind of down. Like something's missing, you know? We can start anything if it doesn't complete." Syunpei heard it all and started to scan through his surroundings. The atmosphere in the room was gloomy, and the aura they gave out was not as exciting as it always had been. Even the boy himself did not feel quite like himself, Koi's absence gave out a huge impact on him and the others. "I guess you're right. I wonder what we can do to help him."

Syunpei's shift was over and was about to leave the building, he stumbled upon Koi in the lift. He greeted him but only receiving a frown sigh in return. He could see that the usual cheerful member of the 'staffs' was troubled, tired of handling this rumor all by himself. He needed to simultaneously dealing with the heat of his anger and the heat of the summer, it was hard to cool down. _But what if it is true? That they are actually dating, or maybe one of them like the other. I..._ Syunpei clenched his fist, exerted out his pain and sadness in his heart. He hated that he felt so confused by his emotions and to worried about Koi's condition at the same time. It was already tiring enough to deal with himself, his feelings. Slowly, he gathered the strength to talk to Koi amidst the pain he was experiencing. "Who is it? The girl you rumored with?"

The brunette could hear the gasp the man before him released, he was shocked. "You knew? Were you eavesdropping?" This made the boy flinched a bit, he was about to be scold. It was the boy's fault and yet he felt like he was right, he had the right to know about this, because they were friends. "So? Are you going to scold me? Fired me?! You do realize that everyone is worried about you! And here you are, trying to hide everything from us. You know that we can help you, but you choose to be secretive. You know we can comfort you, but you choose to stay away. What's wrong with asking for help?!"

"Because they can't help me."

The boy was lost, turning to face Koi in order to hear his answer. Before the pink haired man could make a comeback, he let out a sigh.

"I don't want to trouble them with my own problem, this has happened many times so it will be settled. It's just take times so don't worry about it, okay?" He finished with a smile, he wanted the boy to know that it was fine for him and it should be. However, seeing how the brunette before him was worried about a petty rumor made his heart crushed. He never had the boy to care for him this much, let alone knew what he was going through. He smiled at the thought of the boy's warmth within his presence. Just being there, he already made me feel comfortable. Feel somewhat happy, he really is something.

Out of Koi's alert, Syunpei went in to hug him around his neck, tiptoeing to reach the man's height. He could feel the burden on his shoulder was lifted off in a millisecond, he felt free. Koi in his unbelievable, shocked state hugged the boy back. Syunpei was feeling the same, the pain in his heart had dissipated just like that. He felt somewhat cured and purified of pain, he had calmed down. As they were hugging within the small lift descending to the ground, Syunpei told him something reassuring. "Sometimes, all you need is a hug. I know how hard it is for you, how terrible it must have been. I just don't want you to push yourself." Hearing this, Koi let out a small laugh of how ridiculous this had become.

The role had suddenly reversed between the two, it was a rather funny scene they had created. Koi continued to hug the boy even tighter, feeling the warm of his body against him. He replied in a soft whisper at the brunette's ear, having his breath brushed against it. "Thanks Syunpei. This is all I really need." Feeling his face turned beet red, Syunpei dug his face within Koi's shoulder and received his thanks in silence. They continued to trade their warmth in the hug until the lift reached its bottom.

The next day, Syunpei was assigned to help Koi for the day whether it would be physical or emotional mean. He would not mind it since he really did want to help, but not alone. He thought the others would stand behind his back. Instead he was left alone waiting for Koi in the practice room, staring angrily at the text messages Shun just sent to him. ' _You are ordered to help Koi today, so be good!_ ' The smiley face at the end of the text did not make the situation any better, it just added fuel to the raging fire inside Syunpei's heart. _I can't believe they left me like this! What am I supposed to do?! What can I do?!_

The boy snapped out of his monologue as Koi entered the room, surprised that no one was there. He questioned about the others whereabouts, only to receive a shook of the boy's head. Koi ended up sighing and thinking by himself before deciding to leave. Syunpei started to panic, he could not let him be alone again. Moreover, he received an order from the 'staffs' to help him. Clearly they were worried about him, wanting him to be fixed before practicing together again. Within seconds before Koi could twist the doorknob, the brunette ran towards the door and slammed on it to prevent from opening. Koi who was shocked turned to Syunpei who was standing beside him, having his hand on the door. "I can't let you do this alone! I'll help! I might not be able to do much but I still want to!" The boy insisted his sincerity onto the man before him, but too bad the man refused. "I don't want you to get into trouble! If you intefere, you might get hurt." He seemed reluctant, but it was gone when Syunpei made a comeback that made him would not believe his ears. "So?! I'm your employee! It's only natural if I got into trouble just like you!" Hearing this, Koi laughed himself off uncontrollably and stood up through the brunette's sudden punch on the arm. He slowly turned solemn and faced Syunpei properly, "Thanks. I'll lead the way." They leave the room together and walked through the hallway side by side before coming to a room above their floor.

They entered it together to found a woman with long, fluffly pink hair was waiting for them. "You're here, Koi. And you brought someone." Koi explained to her that Syunpei was going to help them settle their problem, and she had put the biggest smile on her face. However, in the brunette's heart, he was hurt by the scene before him. Koi was talking with her so merriful, not like when he was with him. It was no mistake to say that they were a couple, they suited each other after all. He smiled bitterly before coming to a conclusion in his heart. I'll help them, as long as he is happy.

A few days had passed, summer vacation was 3 days to go and Syunpei was excited about it. He could not wait to tell the 'staffs' about it, maybe they would change his schedule by loosen it a bit. As he opened the door of the practice room, humming one of their practice song, Koi jumped into him for a hug. However, he was pushed away by the other members as the boy recovered from the shock. "You good-for-nothing joker, you worried us to death!" Kai scolded the pink haired man as he held him by the collar. The other members were complaining to him as Kai shaking him in the air.

It was regarding his gossip with the Goddess candidate named Ai, apparently she was his sister by blood. Even Syunpei was shocked when they revealed the facts few days ago, hearing this somehow made him relieve. He did not know why he felt so, it was strange enough for him to remain being with them. _I guess I'm not ready to let them go yet. I guess I like them._ Everyone in the room was mad at him, worrying them about rumor that always happened. "You always had rumors with your sister, get over it." Kakeru told Koi off. "But I can't help it if people keep thinking we're a couple, it's weird." The nerve for Koi to reply made him regret as Kai about to throw a punch, but stopped halfway as Syunpei opened his mouth. "I wouldn't want that too. It's too painful to bear, right?" The brunette clenched his heart, not looking away from Koi's very own pink eyes. With a loosen grip from Kai, the pink haired man freed himself and replied. "Well, that's right. I can't flirt around the other woman like that."

Syunpei put a face of disgust, signaling Kai to continue what he was doing. Kai obeyed and this scared the weak victim Koi. The mood started to lift up regardless how disappointed the boy was with Koi's answer. He was expecting a more reassuring answer. I got my hopes up too much. He joined the others, together with Kakeru in dissing the pink hair man who had just ran away from the trouble of gossip.


	9. Chapter 9: Kannaduki Iku

Summer vacation had arrived, and it was not easy for Syunpei to go over his work with the 'staffs'. Luckily, he did not have any extra classes during those timeline. They got tired faster, their sweat filled up their shirt wider than they usually do, their breath was insufficient as if they were trapped within a closed room. The breezy wind that entered the room was not enough to cool them down, not even the fans and air-conditioner was enough. They were resting down in the room as Syunpei took his leave to buy some cold drinks for them. Somehow, Iku decided to follow him and helped him. He never, no, rarely ever talked to Syunpei. He would just watch from afar, observing every move he made. It sent chills down the boy's spine, his ice cold stare penetrated his body. It was suspicious and dangerous when he suddenly wanted to be close, it scared him how many possibilities he would do to him. He decided to remain silent until the man himself engaged a conversation.

When they reached the store, picking out drinks in the cool store, Iku started to talk with Syunpei to lower the tension between them.

"I was offered to play a sports game in a game show, but I don't know how to play that game." His voice was cracked a bit, maybe due to the unbearable heat.

The boy asked him details about the game he needed to play, it was baseball. Upon hearing this, his spirit had livened up instantly. Baseball was his main interest, his main source of athletic spirit. He became energetic whenever baseball was mentioned. He batted his sport eyes on this particular one only, the others did not stand a chance to slit in his heart. He ended up dragging about baseball, about his experience playing them to Iku who listened to him willingly.

 _Such a cute reaction, I want to tease him._

The brunette told so much that he did not realize he kept on talking even when they had leave the store. Amidst the heat of summer, he still continued despite Iku was sweating like crazy as he heard all his drag on baseball. The idol could only listen on patiently, even though his hearing was starting to deafening a bit. Before the boy knew it, he talked too much to Iku that he was never given a chance to reply to him. He stopped his brag and apologized to the idol before him.

He brushed it off and said, "You really love baseball huh? I can see through your talking." Syunpei was a bit embarassed and could only nod in return, he thought to spare the words for Iku.

Seeing this, Iku giggled at how amusing the boy's personality was.

 _He's really special like they say he is._

Before they stepped into the company's building, Syunpei felt like his hand was being pulled. He turned around to find Iku was doing it, with an expression saying he needed some time before coming in. The brunette was reluctant, but he also needed to obey Iku's need. He was one of the bosses too, his order was necessary. However, the drinks needed to be distributed among the other members while it still cold, they were yearning it like hunger yearned for food. The boy prioritized the men at the room first, so he gave a gesture to Iku what he wanted to do. Luckily, Iku gave in and followed the brunette's steps.

 _He refuse? That's weird. Maybe he will listen to people that only close to him?_

The idol wanted to ask Syunpei something personal, something that he could not ask the other member about. He wanted to practice the sport, to practice baseball with someone who has an experience. At least his partner of practice had played it before, and it would be a great help if he was not going easy on him. Before Syunpei could even twist the doorknob open, Iku blew some air towards the brunette to get his attention. The idol's breath that brushed against the boy's neck made him shocked and turned around with blushes across his face. He started to scold Iku with a soft, low volume of what he had done, it was embarassing if other people saw them. Iku smirked and leaned closer to the boy, to the point where both could feel each other breathe and Syunpei could no longer back away further.

"I just want you to help me with my baseball practice. Is that okay with you?"

Syunpei's mind was stirred, whether it was the heat of summer or the way Iku was saying it seemed seductive. The boy knew his face had turned beet red and he could not hide it any further, he could only reply with a yes. He felt threatened by his closeness because this was not how normally he would be with him. He felt like himself a prey being pinned down by its predator. Iku's grin spread wider, he patted the brunette's head and opened the door. He entered and greeted them like nothing happened, so cheerful and innocence just like how he usually did with the others. Syunpei could not move his feet, he had not recovered from the incident before.

 _Was he really just teasing me? He looks scary._

His cloud of thinking dissipated as Kakeru admonished him. He was worried about the brunette, it was shown on his face. Syunpei took a glance at Iku and to his surprise, received an intimidating glare in return. The boy tried to brush it off but Kakeru knew better. Syunpei distributed the drinks like an errand boy would do, hiding his fear within his smile. He might be able to fool everyone but he could not fool Kakeru. He might only talk to him a few times, but he could tell. Because of that he already knew who was the culprit behind it.

"What did you do to him? Tell me Iku!" Kakeru insisted Iku on telling him the truth after the practice, having their privacy at the usual spot.

He could see that Iku was reluctant on telling him, the pouting face he put gave it away. Iku was just wanted to tease him a bit, playing around like Shun and Hajime did. Somehow, Syunpei could not take it very well when it came to him.

 _Maybe he hates me?_ He thought by himself, leaving the blonde idol left unanswered.

Kakeru could only let out a sighed and gave him a warning, pointing him in the face as he threatened him.

"If Syunpei is hurt, physically or mentally, you're gonna get it from me. If I didn't jump into action, the others will. You better watch out. I'll be keeping my eyes on you, Iku." Kakeru gave one last glare before leaving Iku completely horrified.

His body literally being wrapped up by fear, he never knew Kakeru would have a fearsome side as this.

 _I need to watch my back from now on._ The next day, his threat to Syunpei to practice for baseball was working. They went to a rented field, which the boy was oblivious of, and practiced until they tired their body out. Iku was the batter and Syunpei was the thrower, the game show the idol participated in needed that skill. Their main focus was to increase the idol's batting skill, the way he batted and how fast he swung. He usually did the throw so it was a bit awkward around the bat, it was his first time holding one too. Despite the brunette showed sign of distrust and fear of Iku, he still went all out during practicing. This satisfied the idol's heart enough yet he still felt uneasy. Was it because of Kakeru's threat? Or how he did not understand what he did wrong? Or why did everyone liked him?

"Heads up!" Syunpei threw the ball as fast as he could, trying to pass over Iku's bat.

To his surprise, Iku hit the ball just before it passed by him and traveled over the fence of the field. The boy was amazed by Iku's strength, he must had a lot of skill to do that.

 _But then, why did he need to practice? Is he nervous?_

Before Syunpei could try to talk to the idol, he excused himself to take a break. He sat down near the fence, having his knees up and burying his face within his arms resting on it. The boy knew he wanted to be alone so he decided to spend the time to pick up the ball and buy two cans of soda as refreshment.

Syunpei came back with a ball in his pocket and two cans of soda in both his hands, somehow Iku was static from how he left him be. He started to worry about him, hoping he did not dehydrate. He tried to surprise him with the cold soda can by placing it on his neck, though he only received an annoying groan as payment. The boy apologized and placed the soda by his feet. He took a minute before deciding whether to sit by his side or just left him be. Thanks to having such pure hearts, Syunpei sat beside him and waited for the idol to speak up.

Minutes had passed and Iku still not moving, the boy started to get cramped just by sitting down. He admonished the man but he could not get a respond, not even a groan this time. He decided to get braver, more talkative.

"Are you troubled by something? Want to share it?" He was stuttering a bit but he managed to finish his sentence.

The man did not lift up his head and replied while having his face buried, thank goodness his voice was still clear for Syunpei to hear.

"You wouldn't want to know, it's adult business." There was a tone of serene in his cracked voice, he seemed about to cry.

The boy started to worry, what could possibly drive him mad until he was sad? He wanted to comfort him but his scared heart of his threat made him stopped halfway. He still did not know him fully, though he did not with the others until they approached him. As the kid he was, he ignored his fear and talked Iku out of it.

"I think it would be easier if you let it out on a kid like me. I don't know any adult's thinking. It would be frustrated to hear you being nagged back if you talk with someone your age?" Even after that mouthful sentence, Iku still had no sign of wanting to open up.

This started to become frustrated, Syunpei felt the need to leave him behind and just let him rot. Then, a thought crossed his mind.

"Do you hate me?" Iku lifted his head up in shocked as he said it.

The boy did not say anything, he just gave the man a smile. He stood up, trying to leave him alone but being pulled into the idol's embrace. He blushed and frantic, he was in public view and it would look weird to other people. Syunpei turned quiet when Iku started to talk.

"Stop. Nobody is gonna see us, don't worry." There was a moment of silence, and the brunette was tortured. "There's no one but us anyway."

The breath he felt beside his face, the gentle touch across his torso, it was just too much. The heat started to get to his face, but he did not want to move.

 _Anything to comfort him I guess._

Syunpei sighed and patted Iku on his head. The idol questioned him what he was doing and the boy playfully answered him. After a few seconds, Iku finally started confiding.

"I am confuse. I don't understand what I'm supposed to understand. And I'm nervous for tomorrow, the show..." He ended it there, not wanting to talk more as it hurts him.

The brunette knew from his voice and he did not inquired further. He reassured him by turning to face him properly, held up his face to look at him and motivated him.

"You will understand eventually, it just takes different time for different people. And you will do good in that show tomorrow. You have amazing skill that I have never seen before. You're gonna do great, Iku." Syunpei's smile gave off a comforting aura and shone within the idol's eyes.

He felt more calming than before, felt spirited than before, felt trusted than before. He suddenly got energised and asked Syunpei to continue practicing with him. Unfortunately, the boy refused due to his heat exhaustion. The brunette forgot Shun's advice of Iku being a tank full of infinite energy. The idol apologized repeatedly before sending him home.

The very next day, the day Iku went to his game show, Syunpei and the rest of the idols watched him through the recording tv at the halls. Only authorized personnel could watch it, and they were one. They could see that he was doing well, the boy was glad the practice paid off for him. When the emcee asked him how he was so skilled, he said it was because a certain someone helped him prepare for today. The emcee was curious of this person so he inquired more. Iku's only reply was,

"I don't want to reveal this person's identity, because I don't want this person to misunderstand that I don't care about our relationship, because I do." The audiences were going wild with this comment, especially when the emcee added that it was a girlfriend of his.

The idols scuffed and said that he could not possibly obtain one when he was too busy with school's clubs and works. Syunpei who was hearing those words from Iku felt somewhat flustered, he knew it was about him. He noticed his face was blushing when Rui admonished it and lied due to the summer heat. The idols did not question him further and handed out a cold tea for him to cool down.

I'll _treat you nicely next time, it's a promise!_

 _Author's note: Syunpei is always in heat when I write him. I guess it's the hormones. XD_


	10. Chapter 10: Nagatsuki Yoru

Syunpei was surprised by Yoru sudden gesture as he stepped into the practice room. He was shoving some pudding into the boy's face, telling him to have a taste before they started practicing. The brunette was reaching for one but Shun prevent it by pushing his hands away. Hajime exclaimed that Yoru was experimenting with a new recipe and that he should not let the boy became his guinea pig. Iku joined in, saying that he felt sick for a week when he tried one. All the other idols revealed Yoru's cook nightmare to Syunpei, telling him not to eat it. Yoru in the other hand however, felt very upset with his members doing.

Everyone would always tease him instead of supporting him in his hobbies. Only his group members accepted that fact, though they did because they wanted free meals. Ever since then, he always shared his cooking with them and made sure that the food was edible and tasty. He was grateful to meet them, even though they always made fun of it. He knew they were joking just now, teasing the boy into believing their words. He decided to play along. Syunpei saw the changes in Yoru's expression, he began to hesitate whether to take the pudding or not. In the end, after thinking thoroughly, the brunette decided to take a pudding and eat them in one bite. The idols were shocked, they participated on his reaction patiently. After a few chewing and gulping, the boy finally opened his mouth for critic.

"Huh, it tastes good." Though the reaction was weak, Yoru felt relieved by his words.

Yoru offered Syunpei to take more, which he did. The others told him that they were telling lies before, Yoru's cooking was always the best. Nothing could be compared to his cooking, not even a 5 star rated restaurant. The boy felt the need to scold them for lying to him, he actually believed their words. He proclaimed that he did not want to dishearten Yoru. He had work hard on his masterpiece. The boy's words surprised Yoru, making him speechless and stood still like a statue. The brunette made the others apologized to Yoru by nagging them. He was teased for acting like a mother and that he received the trait from Yoru. Syunpei began to nagged more, this scene before Yoru's eyes amused him. He never saw the specialty they were talking about the boy, and now he had finally seen it. After their fun times playing around, the idols began their practice as the brunette watched them from behind the room.

After the practice was over, Syunpei was dissmissed to leave. Everyone was sitting down across the room, resting their body and caught some breathe before leaving for the day. The boy was about to step out of the room but he wanted to have a talk with Yoru. He went to the said man and sat beside him to engage in a conversation.

"Can you teach me how to cook?" Yoru who was drinking choked and coughed, shocked by the boy's sudden inquire.

The brunette helped Yoru to settle down before explaining further.

"My sister always came home late, she always hang out with her friends and go to club practices. Sometimes while waiting for her, I feel like I could die of hunger. Beside, I cannot depend on her forever. So, can you teach me? Some basic stuff will do." Yoru gave himself some thought before giving an answer.

He wanted to help the boy, but having him went and forth to their apartment would gain suspicion. Even if he did come, the others would disturb their cooking session. He wanted to take him outside but, was there even a place that could have their kitchen rented? Yoru asked Syunpei if his kitchen was free during summer vacation, luckily it was. Apparently his sister was having a part time job during the summer. That made the brunette lone time at home extended. Yoru saw this as an opportunity to see Syunpei's resident and also got close to him, so they made a pact to have cooking lesson at the boy's house. Syunpei agreed and excused himself to go home, telling Yoru that he wanted to start tomorrow before leaving.

After Syunpei was out of sight, the others taunted him of his moment with the brunette. They even gave him a warning not to turn his sexuality around, that embarassed Yoru more than it should. Yoru had difficulty sleeping that night, thinking what would happen tomorrow when he arrived at Syunpei's house. He told himself that it was all going to be okay and that nothing bad could happen. The boy was pure hearted, and he needed to protect his purity. _I hope you can control yourself tomorrow, me!_

The lesson day came, Yoru had prepared the ingredients for the cooking lesson with Syunpei. The idol was nervous, he needed to behave since he was a guest. Though his eyes could not fix inside his head, he ended up looking around the house. It was moderate and neat, the atmosphere of a family-friendly air could be felt. Yoru noticed a family picture on the side table of the living room as he walked to the kitchen. Without Syunpei's knowledge, he walked to it and picked it up to have a closer look. He saw the picture containing Syunpei, his sister and his mother. He began to ponder, _Where's his father?_

The brunette who happened to notice Yoru away from their supposedly station of work, he walked towards him and admonished him. This shocked the man that he could have a heart attack, he was so deep in thoughts that he did not notice the boy was approaching. He turned and apologized while hiding the framed picture behind his back.

The boy noticed his strange behaviour and asked, "Did you find something interesting?"

Yoru shuddered by Syunpei's question, how could he possibly answered it without sounding suspicious? His act of hiding the picture was already out of the question. He felt nervous as if a judgement was occuring before him. He did not want to be a busybody, he just cared for the boy before him. _Guess I have no choice but to be blunt._

The man thought before taking the picture out and handing it to the owner. The brunette took it, Yoru could see that a soft smile carved across his face. He felt warm just by looking, not realizing he put on one as well. The room was filled with tranquility and coziness, he felt right at home. Then, Syunpei broke the silence and said something to himself yet Yoru could hear every of his words.

"My mother have always been there for me. Either to play games or comfort me, she's the first person I'd go to. But, now..." The air turned gloomy and serene, the idol could feel that Syunpei reluctant to continue his story.

His sudden clap broke the tense air and caught the boy's attention. He took and put the picture away so the brunette could get his mind off of it, they needed to start their lesson before his sister got back. It would mean trouble if she saw an idol idling in her house, it would create an uproar. He forcefully pushed the boy to the kitchen, confusing him why the man did so. Without further delay, the idol started his cooking lesson with Syunpei.

The boy was impressed by Yoru's elegant cooking. It was to be expected since he was the so-called mother of the 'staffs', but he did not expect he could be on the same level of professional chefs. He amazed at how fast he chopped the vegetables, how neat his preparation of ingredients, how appetising his presentation of work, how slim his fingers were. _Wait a minute..._

The boy wondered, why did he need to focus on that? He was learning, he did not need to pay attention to that. He needed to focus on the steps and instructions. However, he ended up doing it again. He started to see Yoru differently. He saw how white as a radish his skin was, how his blue eyes matches the blueberries he bought for snack time, how his hair matches the colour of a cooked meat. Syunpei could not help but let out a giggle by himself. He strayed his attention into comparing the ingredients with features on the man's body. This started to become his personal joke, an inner entertainment to keep himself enlighten.

Yoru who noticed this inquired him of his strange behaviour. "What is it? You're having fun by yourself."

The brunette replied and told him the truth, that he was referencing his feature with the ingredients on the table. The boy had his laugh, but the idol turned slightly red. He was embarrassed by the fact that he was compared to organic substances, how low-leveled could that be? The Procellarum member was frustrated. He thought the boy could think highly of him, at least above average. Perhaps he was nothing but a joke to him. Envy started to clump inside his heart, he wanted to be adore just like the others. He wanted to be respected just like Arata, he wanted to be close just like Koi. _He is a child after all. What did I expect_? The idol urged the boy to finish his laugh and got back to learning.

Syunpei obeyed Yoru's word and fully concentrated on their lesson. The idol was surprised at how serious the brunette had become. He arranged the ingredients diligently, he kept his area clean, he cut the vegetables in chunk. _Wait a minute... The_ man wondered at this sight and stopped the boy's action. He asked him if he had done some chopping before, which surprised him that he never did. He noticed that the brown eyed boy did not even peeled the potatoes' skin off. He mind was stirred at Syunpei's cluelessness of the situation. _This is gonna be tougher than I thought._

Yoru spoke in his heart before beginning his lesson again. He showed the way to peel, the size to cut, the temperature to cook, the amount of oil needed, the mixing of all the prepared ingredients. He teached the boy step-by-step until he finally got it. He did not skip any of it without Syunpei able to grasp the knowledge he gave him. The idol felt accomplished he was able to teach the brunette. Although he was not able to tell him how dissatisfied his joke were before, he let it go after seeing how proud and happy he were at his first cooked cuisine. On the boy's side, he also felt refreshed after the lesson. He felt satisfied like finishing a quest in a game. He finally able to made an omelette rice by himself, though there were more recipes for him to learn.

He gave his gratitude to Yoru by thanking him, but the man seemed to lost in his own mind. Yoru was thinking how today was not turning out how he predicted it would be, and how he was to face the other members with such a dull storytelling. With a worrying facade, this made the brunette's hearts unsettling. His mind started to stir up. Was it his joke earlier? Was it too sensitive? _I thought it would be more appealing?_

He was at the end of his line, the voices of his head and heart gave out nothing but questions. Giving up, he took a spoonful of the rice he cooked, admonished Yoru until he opened his mouth and shoved it in. This made the idol confused yet curious of his action. He took the spoon away from Syunpei's hand and eat every bit of food on it. Once it cleaned in his mouth, he took it out and chewed them inside his mouth. He took a glance at the boy who anticipated his respond. He noticed how huge and shiny his brown eyes had become, it stood out among his bangs. _So cute!_ The idol hid his flustered face of seeing such a sight, turning away to look out the window. Once he finished swallowing the food in his mouth, he commented on the brunette's cooking.

"It's good enough to be edible I guess." Syunpei upon hearing this threw a playful punch to the idol's arm, he could not believe he would joke timingly like that.

They exchanged laughter for a while, until Syunpei took a bite with the same spoon. The boy pleasured himself with his meal, but Yoru was shocked by his doing. _It's an indirect kiss!_ His face started to become red like a ripen tomato, he tried to cover it so that the brunette would not question it. Unlucky for him, Syunpei noticed and inquired him of it. Without giving an answer, and heart racing nonstop of embarrassment, Yoru excused himself and left the house. The brunette tried to stop him but he failed, he was too late. He sat back in the kitchen, facing his omelette with a sigh.

He was a bit disappointed that he was not able to share the rice with Yoru, he was his mentor after all. _And I didn't even get to apologize on my jokes earlier._ He pondered as he put the spoon into his mouth with nothing on it. Somehow, he liked the sensation of having it inside even though it was never a habit of his. His train of thoughts kept on moving and as expected, dropped a crate untimely at his stop. _Wait... This spoon has...An indirect kiss?! He_ pulled out the spoon and threw it into the sink nearby. Syunpei buried his face inside the sleeves of his arm, both folded on the table. He could feel the rush of blood rising to his face, he felt the temperature of his body rising. Now he knew why the man left without saying anything, _Though I want to spend more time with him, and not with cooking. I'm the worst._

With this, the brunette continued to buried his embarrassed face until his sister reached home. He wondered if it would be awkward for them to face each other tomorrow, and they were. They tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible and interact only when needed. Even so, it did not last long until their next lesson and Syunpei was grateful for that. He was relieved they could overcome it fast. _I hope you don't repeat it again, me!_

 _Author's note: I'm sorry to say that this series will also be on hiatus for some time. I need to gather myself to writing again since I currently out of idea. I need to sort out the story again too. Anyhow, I hope all of you enjoy reading my story. I wish you all a happy day~ :D_


	11. Chapter 11: Fuduki Kai

As usual like any other day, Syunpei walks down the street to his workplace. He fondles on his phone reading through the news. As he is sliding down the articles, the suggestion lists a few gossips on a group called 'Six Gravity'. Though the faces on the cover seem familiar but the brunette shrug it off. He is not one to fond over gossip especially towards idol. It irritates him how some people, like his sister, can be so obsessive over someone that will never meet her face-to-face. It makes this fake hope they harbor accumulated. The boy worried that one day they will cry over one of them confessing on having a relationship, cutting their chances off to approach them. He sighs as the thought keeps on elaborating in his mind.

As he steps advance forward, Syunpei notices Kai is sitting idly on top of a motorcycle in front of the studio building. He seems to stare up the clouds calmly. It is a chopper upon closer look, a classic choice to travel the country if he had the thought in mind. As far as he concerns, the man only have a car. He often has the other 'staffs' ride in it whether to work or other places of leisure. It even concerns him that he does not enter for practice but loitering around at the parking spot instead. Before he could speak up to him, the member of Procellarum admonishes him first.

"Hey, Syunpei! Let's go for a ride!" Kai invited.

 _Where to?_ The brunette did not uttered his confusion out loud. Instead, it shows on his face. The member of Procellarum continues.

"I just borrowed this sweet ride from a friend. Let's stroll around for a bit!" He said as he patted the seat.

His wide smiling face revealed rows of white teeth make Syunpei unsure of his decision. He tries to persuade Kai to go inside and practice but it backfires quickly. The idol informs that the practice has been called off for today. Of course, the brunette does not believe it one bit. He is sure that the man before him just making up excuses to skip it. If he does not stop him now, he is bound to get punished later on. The boy ignores the invitation and goes straight to the front door. His heart keeps hoping that the man will follow on his steps. However, his shoulder is being grabbed and pulled to the seat without his consent. He tries to get off but Kai pushed him down. The idol does not say any threatening words but the air he received seems to say so. Scared of what he will do, Syunpei stays quiet and goes along with it.

"Hold on tight!"

Kai exclaimed before turning the handle, accelerating the motorcycle away from its parking spot. The speed it is on is unbelievably swift. Syunpei almost lost his grip. He immediately hugs the man tightly without any second thought. The strong cold wind brushing their hair makes it whistles as they drive among the bustling road, intervene between the cars stuck in jamming roads. Even though the air is chilly, Kai does not feel it. The heat coming from Syunpei's hug makes a good warm pad along the way. Their destination seems to be the end of the land, the beach. _Why would he go to the beach during this cold weather?_ The brunette wonder their intention arriving there. It should be most suitable if they went during summer, but it is too late now. Kai hits the brake and stops near the divider as he stares deeply into the ocean. The sounds of waves hitting the shore are seemingly meditating to both of them. The soft, cool wind brushing against their face is serene. The two men cannot help but lost in the tranquility they feel at the moment. At the moment, the idol seems to reminisce about the old days.

"You know, when I was your age, I lost my first love."

The brunette is shocked to hear a sudden confession of his past. He cannot react properly, it is too sudden for him. This unexpected event leads the air to become condensed and heavy that it becomes awkward. The boy tries to carefully not to say anything sensitive.

"My condolences... I hope you can get over it."

"Eh, not really." He shrugged, "I remember her now and then."

The boy was surprised by his reply but try to answer in compose, "Do you remember her, as your strength to move forward?"

His mouth stretched far to both his cheek, "You seem to know the trick. Happened to you?"

The boy stared into the sea once more before answering the inquiry, "Somehow..."

A patting hand can be felt on the brunette's head. He looks up to see the idol looking at him with a soothing expression. Somehow, it sends blood rushing to his facade warming it up to the color red. Perhaps he missed to be pat on the head softly after so long, and not the noogie style of patting. Kai offered a mint candy to the boy, taking it out from his jacket. The candy melts immediately within his mouth upon entering. It sends a chilling feeling through his nerves that his senses seems to enhance, it feels refreshing. After sharing a few minty sweets, they take off to their next destination. The boy is in disbelief when they arrived.

The land heaped before him, peaking to poke the sky with its pointer. The mountain soar the cloud in a magnificent stand. Syunpei's mouth gaped open seeing how high the land is. He shooks his head, _Theres no way this guy wants to climb it, right?_

"Lets climb it!"

The brunette is shocked to hear that. He goes enough misfortunes to call it the worst year of his life. Climbing mountain in the season of autumn is the least he wants to do, and this man invites him so. Before he could protest Kai's desire, he thought for a second. This might be the only time he has to go mountain climbing. This might be the time he can actually go out and have fun. This might be the only time they can spend time together, just the two of them. Now that he has calm himself and recalls his summer days, the staffs never once go to the beach or the summer festivals to let loose. They are always busy with works and events that when the boy invited them, he can hears how hectic they are with the cluttering and chatting noises in the background. I guess it wouldnt hurt once in a while. Syunpei catches up to Kai when he is being admonished by him from the higher ground, leaving the boy behind in his thought.

 _I. HATE. THIS._ Syunpei has lied down on the ground, grasping for air after his painstaking climb to the top while Kai is busy taking pictures of the scenery and himself. He stares into the sky as he rests his body against the cold, chilling stones. The marching cloud on the land of blue says it is a nice weather to spend outside. However, the brunette does not feel any happiness from climbing a mountain. The only emotion he felt is anger and exhaustion, they say mountain climbing supposed to be fun and relaxing. Perhaps it is because he is being forced instead of voluntarily doing so. The boy raises sitting down when Kai joins him at his side, finally calming down from the excitement.

"You know", He spoke, "I wish time could stop, so I can spend more time with you."

The boy laughed, "What's with that cheesy line from a J-drama?"

"Oh! I have another one for you!" Kai caught Syunpei's attention, "If nothing lasts forever, will you be my nothing?"

"What are you talking about? I'll be your everything!" The brunette replied with a hint of sarcasm.

Kai gives him a gentle pat just like before. The only difference this time is, it comes with a forehead kiss. The brunette is taken aback by his kiss and slides away in shock. His beet red face is covered half by his hand that is holding his forehead. It feels warm. Syunpei does not question his action, he cannot even if he wants to after seeing that face. A smile so bright it gets blinding the second you look at, the air of joy he exerts, and a half flustered face that embarrass by his own doing. After a moment, they both descend and the idol goes to send him home. He watches the boy with full concentration until he finally closes his front door, arriving safely. After that, Kai turns the handle and drives the motorcycle back to his dorm. A smile sneaks onto his face when he remembers what happened today. _Maybe I should be careful…_ _Author's note: I'm so sorry! I'm at a loss trying to figure out how to end this. This part has been hanging in my folder for 3 months now. I don't really like the ending to this one much, hhmm... T.T Writing once again have become hard for me._


End file.
